Backfire
by chinarai
Summary: To destroy the evidences, they must join the Survey Corps and bond with Humanity's Strongest.
1. i: Meeting

_A Choice With No Regrets; Canon divergence; somewhat role reversal; follows canon as much as possible, though canon should be ignored sometimes._

* * *

It is the first time they manage to successfully sneak out the underground onto the streets above, though they did so with outside help.

 _"_ _I hear Erwin Smith will attempt to recruit you to the Survey Corps."_

He tries not to let it all overwhelm him, though his two companions are long lost staring up at the bright dots in the dark sky and watching goosebumps rise on their exposed skin when the cool wind sweeps past them. He should be marveling at it all, he knows, because after living all his life in the subterranean slums, this is the first time ever he sets food out its limits and gets a taste of real, fresh air. He had heard of stars before and now as he sees them, he realizes story does not make them justice.

But they have work to do.

 _"_ _Use this opportunity to find the evidence he is gathering and destroy them."_

Levi hushes their awed sounds and steers towards shadowy corners of the street, feeling the uneven cobblestone under his boots as he rushes away of sight. They slip into an alleyway and peek around the corner, trying to map out the neighborhood they are in, trying to locate themselves and find where to go next.

Word reached them that a play, or something of the sort, is to happen in Mitras that night and it will attract the wealthiest of people. Rich people means expensive goods, and expensive goods mean that they can be sold at a very good price in the underground. If they mug three or four people, they will most likely get the income of one entire month, and extra cash is always welcomed. It is an easy task, considering they have done worse things below ground, but they need to keep their eyes open for the Military Police and anyone that could threaten their little mission.

 _"_ _You'll be generously rewarded with large sums of money and permission to live above ground."_

Silently, he weaves his ways through the darkness provided by unlit street lamps, straining his ears to the sound of faint singing and chattering blocks away. Isabel and Furlan trail before him, though the latter is much more professional than the former, and he has to tell her to keep it down lest they are caught. He feels the texture of the buildings beneath his rough fingertips, inhales the clean breeze that plays with his hair, and allows his gaze to flicker up towards the sky for one split second before moving again.

 _"_ _I can arrange for you to catch his immediate attention."_

They observe from an alley not so far away from a grand structure as people walk into the open streets, donning expensive jewelry, accessories and items of clothing alike. One simple signal of his hand has his two friends scattering in opposite directions, ready to intercept anyone that ventures far from the illuminated building, and he performs his part of the plan, moving closer on stealthy feet to select the one that is worth the most.

Levi spots her in a second, finding it hard to miss her in the sea of people.

She holds herself with poise, the black of her gown accentuating her curves, contrasting on her pale, creamy skin. Her hair, as dark as the night sky, is pinned up intricately with shimmering hairpins, no stray hairs out of place. He spots the clasp of a pearl necklace around her throat and, as she raises her manicured hand to loop it on some man's elbow, he sees the sparkles and crystals alike around her wrist. Most of her fingers, he notices, have silver rings with large gemstones on them.

They are getting much more money than they had previously expected, and robbing this person will attract the Military Police's attention, allowing them to fully execute their job.

The couple is the last to leave the front of the building, quietly strolling away and murmuring to each other. He rolls his eyes at their carelessness; surely, there are thieves up here as well, and they are parading about with costly objects in their possession. It is as if they are being asked to have them stolen from their snob, upper-class hands.

As they pass by the alley, his hand shoots out and grabs the man by the collar of his suit, dragging him into the shadows and slamming his back against the wall. The woman gasps and he slides his blue pupils in her direction, staring into black with specs of silver. Levi has to catch himself before he finds himself lost in her softly slanted eyes, delicate nose and plump mouth, so he knocks the man on the stone, his grunt bringing him back to reality.

"The jewels. _Now._ "

Her breath hitches and with shaking hands, she removes the piece from around her neck. He watches as the pearls glide along the exposed skin and grits his teeth in annoyance, resisting the urge to slam his hostage once again to have something else that is not her to focus on. She gathers the necklace, bracelets and each of her rings in her palm and extends her hand towards him, whispering, "Please, don't hurt him."

Levi releases the man, letting him fall ungracefully to the ground, and she drops the jewelry on his upturned palm before kneeling down her lover, touching him gently as she searches for injuries. He leaves the scene before she can look up, returning to their rendezvous point.

* * *

True to that stranger's words, on the following day, they attract their target to the underground.

The emblem of the Wings of Freedom is displayed proudly on their forest green cloaks that billow with every sharp turn they take among a mass of slowly crumbling buildings. They flee from them, if only to put up a show, kicking at crates that stand in their way to create diversions and weaving skillfully through familiar territory as they split in different directions and effectively separate the group of pursuers. A split moment of distraction has Levi narrowly dodging someone's incoming fist, only to get hit by the dull side of the blades when Erwin flies into the ambush.

He refuses to go down without a fight. Levi leaps up to his feet and goes in for the kill. If he defeats this man now, he will not have to join the Survey Corps, he will not have to part from Isabel and Furlan, and together they will live in Mitras as promised by that man. Before he can even as much as land a strike, two of his team members appear from around the corner, with a resigned Furlan and a struggling Isabel in their grasps.

Erwin Smith, who stands before their forced kneeling forms with ridiculously large eyebrows that would have Isabel laughing, only stares inquisitively at him in silence. The chase previous to their capture resulted minor injuries and no casualties from what he can tell; still, Levi releases his weapon and allows them to bind his hands together behind his back, and the three of them are forced to a kneeling position with a swift kick to the back of their knees. It is humiliating; it fills him with anger and murder intent, dark thoughts swirling around his mind and spreading through his limbs. Fuck finding the document; he is going to kill this man as well.

Levi refuses to speak and meet his eyes, unlike Isabel that is glowering up at him with gritted teeth and slit eyes. Erwin asks about the equipment and how they learned to use it and their silence leads to Levi having someone grab a fistful of his hair and smash his face on the ground, dirty water and mud splashing on his skin and clothes. Immediately, Isabel and Furlan jump to his defense, saying what this man wants to hear in varying tones of wariness and rage. The more he stays silent, the more whoever is manhandling him shoves his face down, until he is gasping for breath.

Still disgusted at the dirt smeared on one of his cheeks and temples, he accepts Erwin's deal to join the Survey Corps, if only to protect his friends now that Erwin has threatened their lives. Content with his reluctant cooperation, Erwin steps back and nods, signaling that they can be allowed to stand. The tall blonde is looking off into the distance, his thick eyebrows rising just barely once he spots another green-clad soldier zipping at top speed in their direction.

With feet landing soundlessly on the dirty street, the person slows to a stop before their superior and salutes. "The perimeter is secured, sir."

Erwin shows little to no emotions at that and motions with a languid wave of his hand, beckoning some of the team members to follow him. "The rest is up with you and Mike, Ackerman." He leaves shortly after, followed by four other people, though the man that rubbed his face in filth stays behind with the newcomer.

Mike, it seems, releases their hands and throws the cuffs aside carelessly. Levi rises to his feet and rubs his wrists once the shackles release his limbs, coaxing the blood flow to course correctly and freely through his veins once again, trying hard not to simply kill these two and right then and there. Yet he freezes when the other soldier, Ackerman, lowers the hood of her cape and reveals her face, her slanted dark eyes inspecting the three of them with disinterest.

She grabs his shoulder, her graceful fingers no less gentle that the hold Mike had on him just moments ago and pushes him forward. "I'd like my jewelry back now."

 _It is as if they are being asked to have them stolen._

Fuck.

* * *

Hey! I was just waiting to make sure that I got good grades before posting this. This is the prized idea I talked about in one of the recent chapters of _Adamantine_ ; I even bought the manga so I could stick to canon, though I did mix in a few things from the OVA (because it's beautiful) and my own ideas (because duh)

So this takes place in a world that Mikasa is actually Humanity's Strongest, meaning that she's older _and_ she never got to meet Eren and Armin, so her personality is not quite the same as in canon. I wrote her differently and it fits one headcanon I have that I'll introduce later on as the story progresses.

Fyi, Erwin and Mike are 29 y/o, Levi and Hanji are 27, Furlan is 26, Mikasa is 23, and Isabel is 18. I just have a feeling that Isabel is a lot younger than her friends and is kinda like a little sister.

The chapters will vary in length, though none of them will be exceptionally long; call them short, if you will, but I'll update this every two weeks and alternate it with _Adamantine_ chapters, meaning that next week, you'll get to read the next part of _Icarus_.

I'll be going now! I hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think!


	2. ii: Introductions

Happy holidays!

PS: I don't know if I'll be able to update Adamantine next week, but here's to hoping that I will!

* * *

Furlan leads the way to their hideout, their _home_. The people in the streets murmur as they pass, no doubt commenting on how the delinquents were finally taken down and would be arrested for the rest of their lives. Levi is quiet, keeping his own thoughts and emotions bottled inside as he walks alongside Isabel and Mike. He glances at the man walking by his side, allows himself to silently glow at his profile and curse him to hell and back for shoving his face in dirty water and mud when he surrendered to them, before letting his narrow gaze slide to the woman he had mugged on the previous night, who was part of the Corps and had played him in his own game.

She is silent, like all of them, face set in an impassive mask and shoulders squared, chin minimally lifted with her eyes set ahead. There is a black scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, covering the pale skin he had seen the night before and had, surprisingly, distracted him. Her hair is loose today, falling like a curtain around her face and reaching just past her shoulders. Her face is clean of any trace of makeup she wore when he first saw her, and he stops himself from wondering if her lips are naturally that pink. There is something different about her, about her features that he cannot exactly pin point what it is; he has seen various faces before, many differently shaped noses and eyes, jaws and mouths alike, but she is of another kind, that he can tell.

He turns his eyes back on the road that stretches on and on ahead of them. It feels like they have been walking for hours before they reach their house, crammed up in a dingy little corner between two equally small houses. Ackerman moves to the front and pushes the door open, and he watches with a sense close to contentment as she cleans the sole of her boots on the worn out rag laid by the threshold. Whether it is a conscious action or not, he is glad that she has the decency of not dragging dirt inside; even after years of living together, Isabel sometimes still forgets to clean her feet before going inside. Mike does not follow them into the home and stands outside the open door.

"If you have any personal belongings you'd like to take with you, please pack up quickly."

Isabel turns to look at the official with a scowl that casts shadows over her features. "If? Do you think we're so poor we don't own anything?" Dark grey orbs flicker in her direction before focusing on nothing in particular.

"Isabel, please," Furlan starts as Levi disappears behind the door of their little bathroom. "Enough confrontations for one day."

Ackerman inclines her head in his direction, effortlessly catching his lighter eyes. "Thank you, Church." He raises his eyebrows at her, briefly wondering how she knows his name given that their main interest lies on Levi, but he simply nods his head and ushers Isabel to take some change of clothes or any of the other few things she possesses.

All of their things together fit in one medium sized knapsack with a hole by the bottom that has been stitched far too many times. She still stands close by the entrance, patiently waiting for them to look around the place, deep down wishing they will never need to return, and whirls around on the ball of her feet to guide the way. Mike and Ackerman share a look as she walks past him, and now the three of them walk between the two Survey Corps members, with her on the lead and him bringing up the rear.

The familiar sight of the stairs that lead up to the surface grows in size as they approach it, ready to step out onto the streets above for the second time in their lives. The men standing guard at the base of the staircase salute as the group walks by; none of the soldiers return the gesture, and up the immense set of stairs they go, one at a time, slowly approaching the bright light that streams by the exit of that filthy place. On the previous night, they saw a dark sky filled with shimmering dots; today, they ready themselves to finally seeing the sun for the first time.

It is warm, and blinding. The group has to stop to allow their eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, squinting their eyes to see or placing a hand above the brow to cast some shade on their faces. The streets are clean, the buildings are well kept and there is vegetation scattered in lush gardens and flowerbeds that line the sidewalk. Isabel is twisting and turning, nearly tripping on her own two feet as she looks around eagerly with wide eyes and a silly grin on her lips. She welcomes the heat of the sun burning her scalp, whistles back to the birds that fly above and kicks pebbles in random directions whenever she encounters one. Furlan is taking it all in quietly, only occasionally responding to her comments or making some of his own, but for most part, he has a smile on his lips as his eyes roam the scenery surrounding them.

They are led to a little teashop nearby, where a simple carriage is stationed near and a man dressed in the Corps uniform holds two horses in place by the reins. Mike takes the knapsack from Furlan's hands and stays behind as the other four head inside the establishment, a tiny bell chiming softly above their heads as they make it past the threshold. Ackerman's swipe of her hand tells them all they need to know – eat before we leave – and a second later, she is out on the streets with her companion.

It is awkward at best, but they shuffle over to a small table in the corner and Furlan tries to smile politely at the middle-aged woman that hand each of them a single sheet of paper that serves as the menu. "There are no prices," comes Isabel mumbled musing. The likelihood that these things are free is slim, so it can only mean that they are actually very pricey.

"Eat all that you want, Isabel." Levi narrows his eyes at the words printed on the paper; what the fuck is a pastry? "We're not paying the bill today."

Isabel is so stuffed that she can hardly walk after they leave the teashop. Ackerman lets out a small, exasperated sigh and approaches the girl, nearly hauling her up to the carriage, thrusting her into Furlan's waiting hands. Levi climbs aboard and the nameless soldier follows him inside, closing the door and settling comfortably on the leather seat. Muffled voices from the ones outside reach their ears and after a handful of seconds, the carriage jerks into motion, slightly shaking as the wheels pass over uneven cobblestones. They observe the houses and buildings, the gardens and the well-dressed people through the window, the wall that they approach at a steady pace, and the penumbra that falls over them as they go through the gates.

Grass stretches on and on before their very eyes, thin blades swishing lightly in the wind that caresses the canopy of the trees and the few flower bushes near by that area. The blue of the sky and the pristine white of the clouds paired with the endless blanket of green strewn under the heavens easily surpasses all of the expectations they had. Isabel gasps and plasters her fingers flat on the glass, the tip of her nose touching the cool surface, delighted at the sight she sees. Furlan is more discreet as he stares intently at the world outside the carriage, gaze swiveling about and tracing over the outlines of the far away trees and houses of a village.

Ackerman enters his line of view, sitting high above her horse, shoulders squared and eyes inspecting about as both she and Mika guard the carriage. He traces the curve of her back before looking away from her and the landscape entirely.

* * *

As soon as they arrive, the gates close behind their backs and the soldiers dismount. Erwin is there by the steps that lead to the castle, nodding to both subordinates the dismount their horses and salute to him. The nameless soldier inside the carriage opens its door and steps out, waiting for them to follow suit, and soon it moves away with the two horses trailing after it naturally.

"Ackerman," the captain starts, "they will most likely be designed to other team. She is your responsibility outside the field and when she's not training. Can you deal with that?"

"Yes, sir."

"She can be moved to your team should you find necessary." His blue irises turn to Isabel in that moment, and she bobs her head in agreement at whatever he is saying. "I will talk to the other squad leaders and the commander. You and Mike take them to the courtyard until further notice."

She and _Mike_ salute as Erwin turns on the balls of his feet and heads to the entrance of the castle. Both soldiers left share a glance and Mike circles around them so he can walk behind the trio as she leads the way. Weed grows between the cobblestones lined on the floor and bushes of plants grow randomly around the perimeter of the castle. A stable is nearby judging by the whines of horses and a vast blanket of grass stretches on, leading to a small patch of woods in the distance where he can see the faint outlines of more cadets nearby.

The courtyard is just ahead, where a makeshift raised floor made of wood is placed so superiors can address their subordinates more easily; however, Ackerman changes trajectory in the last minute, leading them away from the place they were ordered to go. "Mikasa."

For a moment, Levi wonders who the man is talking to, until the woman replies simply. "They are no good for the Corps if they die before they even receive proper training."

They stop by a well located some feet away from the courtyard and with a wave of her hand in its direction, they were granted permission to drink. Furlan threw the wooden bucket in and reeled it back up, allowing the only girl in their small group to help herself first. She cups her hands together and takes in large gulps of the liquid that dribbles down her chin and splashes some water on her face and nape of her neck, sighing in relief when it cools down her overheated skin.

As Levi lets Furlan drink first, he strains his ear to listen to the conversation going on between their two babysitters. "Do you think your team survived a few days with you away?"

A hum comes from Ackerman as she crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm sure they did."

"Perhaps now that they had to spend some time with Hanji, they'll see just exactly what they're getting themselves into."

"They have no idea of what's waiting for them." Levi briefly wonders if the faint snort he heard came from her or him, but as soon as he is done drinking, they guide them for once to the assigned place.

And they wait. They wait for long, long minutes, so long that Isabel is running out of things to say. She is sitting on the podium, legs dangling from the edge, trying to get Mikasa to talk, but she only responds with monosyllables – if she responds at all – and in overall does not encourage her blabbering. Furlan makes a point to whisper to Levi that Ackerman and he are very much alike, but he brushes it off with a pinch of his eyebrows and an extremely bored look.

After what seems another eternity, cadets start grouping around where they stand, murmuring among themselves as they steal glances in their direction. One particular young man, perhaps no older than eighteen, with a bad haircut and face flushed red from running, comes to an abrupt halt before them and salutes sloppily, round brown eyes settling on the woman casually leaning against the wood. Before he can say or do anything else, Ackerman pushes herself away with a small sigh.

"Correct your form, Mateo." She nudges his feet once with her boot and he shifts in place as he straightens his back. "Mike, I'm going to check on the rest of them. I trust you can keep them in line?"

"Is that a valid question?"

Isabel leans forward from where she is sitting. "Hey, what about me?"

Cool black eyes fall on her frame, "Stay here until you find out who's your team leader and they instruct you. After that, meet me out here once again." With that, she walks away, past her subordinate that falters before whirling around and chasing after her.

* * *

They were assigned to a team led by a man that instantly got on his nerves. Openly opposed to their addition to the Survey Corps because they were from the underground, it is needless to say that Levi took an immediately dislike for this man named Flagon. Things only got worse when he practically insulted them on their sleeping quarters and Levi came close to getting into a fight had Furlan not been there to stop him; he had not seen their leader ever since.

They wandered about the castle and its surroundings, getting used to its layout and learning of every corner and bend that could aid them when the time came to steal the document. Isabel had tagged along until they crossed paths with the same guy from before, Mateo from Ackerman's team, and she had no other choice than to follow him once he pointed out that his leader was waiting for her. Her absence will certainly complicate things, but it is nothing that the two of them cannot handle and, besides, Ackerman seems to be close to Smith. Perhaps, Isabel can happen to eavesdrop a conversation or hear something that will benefit their cause.

Now, Levi sits at the mess hall, nursing a glass of water that had been given to him by Furlan before he departed to make some rounds and learn one thing or another. No one sits on the table he occupies and he does not mind it; in fact, he is glad everyone is keeping their distance for one reason or another. Isabel is inside the kitchen with Ackerman's team for kitchen duty, though the captain lingers by the door with her shoulder resting on its frame, silently supervising their work. He narrows his eyes and takes a sip of his drink, studying her from afar, trying to see what is so great about her that she joined Erwin's group so they could capture them.

Furlan slides onto the seat before him, a satisfied smile tugging on his lips as he lowers his elbows to the tabletop. Levi quirks an eyebrow and his friend brushes it away with a wave of his hand, signaling that later he will tell them what he knows. From his peripheral vision, Ackerman disappears inside the kitchen; seconds later, Isabel emerges with some other cadet's arm slung around her shoulder and his face covered in ashes, half dragging him away to the doors and out into the hallways. His friend's shoulder is shaking in silent laughter, hand cupped over his mouth to hide his grin. Ackerman follows them a second later, quickly catching up to the duo and helping Isabel take the stunned man away.

The food is served about ten minutes later as both team leader and her _responsibility_ return to the mess hall. Isabel is dismissed for dinnertime and quickly saunters away from the captain, who turns and goes in the other direction to speak with one of her fellow soldiers. Levi and Furlan stood from their seats and make their way to the line that is forming, their friend catching up to them quickly and grinning as they fall behind a remarkably tall cadet.

Dinner consists of a vegetable soup and a loaf of bread. "I helped make this soup," she starts, stirring it with a spoon to cool it down. "I swear, these guys live on the surface, but they know nothing when it comes to cooking."

"What happened to the guy covered in ashes?"

She groans, rolling her bright green eyes in annoyance. "Someone tried to pull a prank on him and it got in his eyes."

Furlan snorts and leans in, speaking only when he swallows his mouthful of bread. "So, I learned some things about your new friend."

"What friend?"

"Captain Ackerman, of course." Levi glances in his direction, silently telling him to go on. "She graduated on top of her class, excelled in everything. Worth an entire brigade, they say, call her Humanity's Strongest even. She's been here since she was sixteen." His light grey eyes wandered about the mess hall, lowering to the tabletop once he spotted the person in question across the room. "They say she is part of the East Sea clan; the last of her kind, actually."

Isabel blinks at that, lowering her spoon with steaming soup back on the plate. "The last?"

"Her parents died long ago, no one really knows how, but I bet the captains do."

"So she's an orphan?" She looked down at her food with a frown. "I think I might like her."

"You like spending time with her team, too?"

"No, they're a bunch of weirdos." Her nose wrinkled in distaste and she tore a piece of her bread with her fingers. "She's seems... Nice. I don't really know why, it's just a feeling I have. Plus, she took us to the well after we were confined in that carriage for hours."

Furlan cupped his chin on his palm and gazed at the ceiling. "Well, when you put it that way..." Quickly, his demeanor changed as he leaned his arm on the table and looked mischievously at the man sitting across from him. "She's a good actress too, uh, Levi?"

"Try not to get too attached, Isabel." He completely dismisses his friend's remarking, choosing instead to change the focus of their conversation. "Don't forget why we're here."

* * *

At first I had our Troublesome Trio™ walking to the headquarters in chains, but then I read the manga. And then I changed it.


	3. iii: Morning

Hey. I'm ignoring my responsibilities as a student in her last year of college once more to update this and give you all a... little explanation, perhaps.

To save some space, I'll redirect you to my fanfiction iBrilliance: viii: wait/i so you can get some detailed bg info if you can put up with the ship. To sum it up: my best friend tried to date me before he changed his mind and just ditched me. I was too attached to him in many sorts of ways and couldn't handle the sudden shift. Cue in a long period in which my anxiety reached its peak. I tried to participate in Zelink Week, it didn't work. I switched back and forth between not eating to eating too much, and couldn't get much sleep. I didn't leave the house, and when I did, I'd come back and cry until my nose was so clogged I couldn't breathe. I constantly thought of all the things I had to do for college and all my fanfics, but could only get few things done.

It wasn't until somewhere in March when I somehow convinced my mom to let me see a psychiatrist that things began to change. I started taking meds and hanging out with other people, increasing the distance between me and said friend. Within a month, I started regaining some control over my appetite and I'm finally feeling a lot more like myself.

However, I still am a college student. Even though I spend most of my time doing anything but working on what I should, I have a big project to do so I can, well, graduate. I can't promise I'll update this every two weeks as I had previously promised, but I can try to work on smaller things, such as iAdamantine/i, to keep it flowing. That being said, feel free to send requests to help me and other fellow readers as well.

Thank you all for being so patient. I really love you guys.

* * *

 **iii: Morning**

* * *

Levi wakes up earlier than usual, the rising sun outside begins lightening the dark atmosphere of the room and rouses him from sleep. Slowly, he sits up and glances around the room covered in penumbra, trying to see if Furlan is awake, but it seems that everyone is still asleep. He is quiet as he climbs down from the top bunker and grabs his new set of clothes, his uniform, and heads out the room, trekking his way to the communal showers to start his day. Torches are still lit in the hallways, illuminating the path he needs to take, passing by closed door after closed door of shared rooms.

He is quick to shower, making use of the empty bathroom as it gives him a renewed sense of privacy after spending only a day surrounded by so many people and sharing a bedroom with other three. It is not as if back in the underground they had a room for each, and it was fine sharing a bedroom with Furlan, but too much people in one space was deeply unsettling. Levi is a man that enjoys being alone, and if there is someone else with him, he enjoys it when it is quiet. It is easy to hide in the slums from wandering eyes and gossiping mouths, but here in the headquarters there are too many soldiers that are much too curious and not so subtle.

Running a towel through his hair to dry the excess water, he changes into the clothes he was given and throws the damp cotton piece over his shoulder before leaving the bathroom. The corridors are still and quiet at the crack of dawn with him being the only one wandering about. Maybe if given the opportunity, they can use this time of the day to search Erwin's office; he keeps the thought stored in a corner of his mind so he can tell it to his friends later when they start planning their course of action, and for the moment being, lets his feet carry him out through one of the many doors of the structure as he tries to find the hanging line he saw on the previous day when he and Furlan were doing their first rounds to know the terrain.

He halts as he turns around the corner, the line just within his sight, but the scene behind it is too captivating. The sun is peeking over the line of the horizon, its light stretching across the grass still beaded with dew, making it shimmer and sparkle under the ever-changing sky. Dark blue gives way to colorful hues, painting the clouds lilac, pink and orange, contrasting beautifully with the dark green pine trees in the distance. He holds his breath for a moment, glad and only dimly aware that he is alone in a time like this, and works to hang his towel on the line without ever looking away from the first sunrise he ever witnessed in his life.

After a moment or two admiring the view, complete with the early riser birds soaring the skies, he inhales deeply through his nose and squares his shoulder, turning around to return to the castle. He resists the urge to look back before he turns around the same bend as before and goes up the few stone steps, letting the cooler air inside make the hairs of his arm stand on end. It is as if he is in a completely different world out there, even when compared to the inside of the castle. The sunrise filled his body with something that he could not quite place and he wondered, in the back of his mind, if his mother would have liked seeing it, too.

Levi slows down to a stop behind the ajar door that leads to the mess hall, feeling another presence on the other side. Quiet as a rat, he pushes it open a little further and peeks inside, clear eyes searching the empty room, and just as they were drawn to her that night, his gaze is pulled in her direction as if by a magnetic force, finding her sitting by one of the windows and eyes darting across a file in her hand.

"Levi." He mentally curses for letting himself be caught and steps further into the hall, knowing that there is no point in pretending he was never there in the first place. "Activities only start in forty minutes."

His usually silent footsteps seem to echo among the walls that surround them and he nearly flinches at the sound. "You're up this early as well."

"True." Her lips curl in a ghost of a smile, and he lets his eyes wander over the notepad and pencil to her right, and the teapot and cup made of china set before her. "The difference is that I pulled an all-nighter." His eyes shoot up to her face taking in the slight shadows under her eyes, shadows that were not there the day before; the silver specs in her irises are dull and that is all he gathers before they disappear behind thin eyelids. "There is one more cup in the sink. Help yourself."

With a nod, he steps away from her and wanders into the kitchen that smells like burning logs and spices. He washes the cup for good measure, looks around the place suspiciously as if the document can be hidden in a jar of sugar or coffee, and then returns to the hall before she notices he has been gone for too long, quietly claiming the seat across from hers. She reaches for the teapot and pours him some tea, steam wafting up from the amber liquid to his face and bringing the earthy smell of the drink to his nose. He holds the cup by the rim, blows into it and takes a sip, letting the bitter taste spread around his tongue and mouth before swallowing.

Ackerman is just finished refilling her own cup when she speaks. "It's black tea," she provides, "you'll get used to it after a while." Her finger hooks around the handle and brings the china up to her lips.

Levi has to look away when they purse to blow air to cool it down, feeling a spark of irritation at himself. He has been with women before, but it is bordering the lines of ridiculous how his body seems to react to her and she does nothing out of the ordinary to have his eyes linger on her mouth or her neck securely hidden away by the scarf. If he had not seen her that night, if he had picked someone else to rob, he is sure he would not find himself gravitating towards her.

He has more self-control than this.

"Thanks for not selling the jewels." She returns the cup to the tabletop after taking a sip, eyes back on the document in her grasp. "They were borrowed." Her gaze flickers up to him for a moment, "We would be in trouble if you had gotten rid of them."

He clicks his tongue against his teeth, crossing his arms and resting them on the wood between them. "Should have sold them, then, just to spite you, brat." She gives him a withering look and he glances out the window to his right. "How long have you been part of the Survey Corps?"

"Seven years." He counts it in his head, coming to the conclusion that she is twenty three years old. Just four years younger than him, three years younger than Furlan and five years older than Isabel. She is actually young and he is surprised to know someone survived this long in this branch of the military; he decides to disclose this thought to her.

"That's a pretty damn long time."

She breathes out a short laugh and flips the page. "Yes, it is. Mike says I'm too stubborn to die."

"Oh?" Levi makes to drink his tea again but finds that the cup is empty. "Are you?"

Her hand lightly pushes the teapot in his direction in silent permission and she speaks without looking at him. "Very. I had to be actually moved to Captain Erwin's team for about two years so I could be disciplined."

His eyes zero on her calm expression, now getting truly interested on the topic. Perhaps approaching her can become a way to get the document they need. "Is that so?"

"Yes, I had a tendency to disobey orders." Her dark eyes find his blue ones and hold him immobile. "I'd advise you to do what you're told."

With a nod, he takes one last sip of his drink and makes to stand. "I don't take orders well, Ackerman."

She lightly shakes her head at the lack of title and at his statement, but says something else instead. "You don't have to leave, breakfast will be served soon." She eyes the teapot next, "You can drink the rest if you want, and I had tea all night long to keep me awake for another twenty four hours."

Levi slowly sinks back down on the bench and accepts her proposal. He drinks as he lets his gaze roam over the scenery outside, watches stray leaves being carried away by the wind and the blades of grass dancing to the same rhythm. After a while the sound of pencil on paper fills his ears as she scribbles down on her notepad, sometimes accompanied by the rustle of the document as she flips page after page looking for certain details. The cup is warm on his hands, heating his palms as they wrap around the china. He looks down at it, recalling the one cup he bought long ago and the handle snapped in his hand.

He refilled her cup one last time, nodding at the small smile of thanks she shot in his direction and trying to stamp the reactions sparking inside him. The door of the mess hall opened and in came the cadets on kitchen duty that morning, hands falling away from sleepy eyes and hunched backs straightening as they shifted their body towards the superior presented and saluted. Ackerman looks up at them and nods, eyes soft but lips neutral, and returns to her paperwork as they shuffle inside the kitchen, shooting glances in his direction specifically.

The door closes behind them when she speaks. "They'll get used to your presence eventually." She assures as she places the pencil down by her notepad and shifts in her seat. "Give it time."

"I'm not bothered by it." The look she gives him clearly says that she doubts his words, but none of them says anything afterwards.

A pair of voices he knows very well approach the room then, pushing the wooden door open. "Ah, here you are." Isabel says as she stifles a yawn, and when her gaze falls on the woman sitting across from her friend, she scrambles into a salute. "M-Morning, Captain Ackerman!"

Furlan manages to give her a more polished and collected salute as he smiles pleasantly at her. "Good morning, captain."

"Good morning, Magnolia, Church." She gathers her things together and stands up, pinching her eyebrows minimally as her bones pop back into place.

As she reaches for her teacup, his hand appears in her line of vision, blocking her path. "We'll take care of it." He says nonchalantly, not looking her in the face.

Her brows shoot up briefly. "Alright," her hand falls to her side and she takes a step back from the table. "Breakfast should be ready soon." These are her parting words. With a nod to each, she walks unhurriedly to the door and leaves it ajar as she steps into the hallway and out of sight.

Hearing the noises coming from the kitchen, Furlan only shoots him a suggestive look as he plops down beside him, but a mild glare from Levi is enough for him to back down. Isabel saunters over to the other side of the table and slides onto the bench. "Ah, I can't wait for our first expedition!"

"Isabel–"

"I _know_ why we're here," she hisses, cutting him off, and crosses her arms across her chest and turns her head away. "It doesn't mean I can't enjoy it."

Their friend leans forward and speaks in an attempt to distract her. "Why do you want to go out so much?"

There is a glimmer in her eyes as she speaks, "Aside from seeing the world outside, of course, the girls in my room were talking about her last night." That makes Furlan perk up and he leans in a little closer. "They said she's amazing, so fast you don't see her coming until she's leaving."

"Wow..."

"It's impossible for someone to be that good."

Isabel pins him with a sour look, "Why do you have to be so boring sometimes?"

"That's part of the package," Church explains with a chuckle and they both start talking about what it would be like to go beyond the walls for the first time.

Shortly after, the mess hall started filling with cadets. The sound rose drastically in volume and with it, whatever good mood Levi had been maintaining that morning was gone in the blink of an eye. Soldier after soldier filed inside the room, occupying whatever vacant spaces they could find. Still, none of them dared approach their table or even claim the many seats available there.

Breakfast is a bland oatmeal porridge and more bread. They knew the food would not be better than it was in the underground, but at least they have the chance of eating more times a day without worrying that it will run out and the view of the sky makes up for it. He thinks back to the sunrise he saw that morning, to the caress of the sunlight on his face, and makes a mental note of waking up early everyday so he will not miss it.

Levi sees her there again, this time sitting with her team, ever calm and quiet as they talk loudly and laugh together. He takes a bite out of his bread and forces his gaze to focus elsewhere.


	4. iv: Preparations

I confess I'm feeling way too lazy with the weather the way it is, so from four layers of blankets I bring this to you.

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **iv: Preparations**

* * *

One hour after breakfast, their training began.

In these minutes that they had free, they sat on the slope of a hill and watched as groups of cadets made their ways to different destinations, hands working on the buckles of their gears and tugging on the straps to make sure they were secure. Little to no plans were made as they relaxed against the grass and watched people go this direction and that, the thin blades, fragile blades beneath them tickling their bare hands.

Ackerman was within one the groups, walking behind her team and a group of people he did not recognize, quietly listening to the bespectacled person trailing alongside her. He had seen them when he was forced to introduce himself to the rest of the Corps, though he could not tell if they were male or female; not that it mattered to him, anyways, so long as they did not prove to be a pain in the ass and stayed out of his way.

When they did reach the meeting place, Flagon was standing just outside the path that led to a crop of the woods looking very much displeased with the unwanted addition to his group. Levi refused to look him in the eyes as he passed by him and entered the trail, his two friends close behind. Furlan once again conjured an apology to his rude greeting – or lack of thereof – blaming it on a sleepless night; their squad leader did not seem to believe it much, and Levi could not give two shits if he chose to buy it or not.

It was cool in the woods. Very few spots of light made it through the dense canopy and reached the earthy ground, illuminating random spots on the forest floor. First he saw the sunset, then he had the chance of experiencing a small trek through the woods as depicted in an old, old book he had a child, one of the very few things his mother had bought to spoil him. His lips twitched as his heart clenched in his chest at the memory of her that was growing fainter and fainter over the years. He has no picture of her and the only material thing he has that belonged to her, her favorite shirt, has been left behind in his old home.

In the end, they are to demonstrate how well they could use the maneuvering equipment. He knows that it will not be as easy as planned given the way everyone looks at him with disdain simply because of his origins. If anything, their reactions only fuel his desire to show off and rub it in their faces that he is much better than they give him credit for; a mere glance at Furlan and Isabel tells him that they both feel the same. One does not judge a book by the cover, so they should not judge them simply because they grew up in the slums. For all he knows, they should at least be baffled that they managed to get this far without a missing limb or tooth.

Once they get to the starting point, the bespectacled person is there. They probably split ways since the last time he saw both them and Ackerman with their teams, and now they stand before him with crossed arms and brown eyes swiveling about the branches as they watch the members of their team practicing their skills with the equipment. Hands fall to their sides when they notice the small group approaching and a wide grin breaks out in their features.

"Hey!" They lift a hand in greeting; Furlan is the only one that has the heart to reciprocate it in this moment. "I'm Hanji Zoe! Saw you guys being introduced yesterday. How are you liking the Corps so far?"

"It's not that bad," Isabel replies with a shrug of her shoulders. "The view's pretty nice, though."

"Ah, yes, yes, it is." Hanji tilts their head up to look at the leaves dancing in the wind above their heads. "You should see outside the walls, nothing compares to that."

"Can't wait for that!"

Zoe grins at the girl's enthusiasm. "I heard Erwin speaking to Mikasa about the next expedition. Rest assured that it will happen soon."

That catches his interest. Now that she mentions this little fact, he realizes that Ackerman and Smith must be really close, and she seems easier to approach than the one that led their capture. Perhaps if he gets close enough to her, he can gather some valuable pieces of information.

"That's nice and all, Hanji," Flagon interrupts brusquely, "but it won't happen for at least another month until they are ready to leave."

"Oh, I'm sure they're good to go." Zoe says as they tap a finger to their chin. "I've heard stories about their skills and prowess."

Their squad leader's anger seems to increase just as much as Isabel's ego inflates in that moment. "Just shut up."

Levi goes first, handling the swords in his usual fashion as he shoots the grapple hook to a tree branch above, soundlessly landing on the wood and readying himself for the start. It is not hard controlling the equipment, not at all, though he has to admit that flying through the woods is much different from doing it back in the underground. Whereas the air used to be dry, here it is fresh and damp and smells distinctively better. There are flashes of color coming from his sides; there are much more sounds and much more elements to be aware of. He only narrowly dodges a thin twig sticking out from the branch, sharp enough to cut his cheek and draw blood, and focuses on trying to find the dummies.

There is one not much far ahead and he readies himself, fingers tightening around the handle of his blades and eyes calculating. Though he has never seen one, he knows that Titans are unpredictable creatures, not as much as humans, but the ones present in this target course made it pretty clear that they want to see them fail, so it is a well-known fact that they will do what they can to have them fall. With that in mind, he prepares for a change of course as he approaches the dummy.

As expected, it turns in his direction as he closes in fast, pulleys squeaking from their perch on trees as they are forced to work too quickly. A well-aimed grapple to the bark of a tree has him gliding beneath the flat head of the dummy and with a quick spin of his body, the grapple flies and seizes another tree across from him, splintering the thick husk beneath. With ease and grace, he slices the pillow-like spot on the nape of its neck, leaving a deep cut where his swords once touched.

Isabel is cheering loudly when he lands on the floor. Furlan has that smug smirk on his face and Hanji is slow clapping, slack jawed and wide eyed. He looks at Flagon then, really looks him in the eye, and finds immense pleasure to know that he is silently fuming at his success.

::

He holds his horse by the reins, staring into its black eyes that match the color of its fur.

The next thing they do after some long hours of boring training in the wooded area is go to the stables. Each one of them gets a horse; each one of them has to bond with their horse or else their chances of survival outside the walls decreases drastically. He was never good with people and looking at it now, he starts to believe that he is not good with animals either. Isabel is already galloping around at top speed, laughing at the top of her lungs, and Furlan has been gently petting his mare on the snout for the past ten minutes.

So far, all he managed to do was pet his horse on the neck and stand about three feet away.

It cannot be helped, he supposes. Despite the fact that he hates when it is pointed out, his height is somewhat short for someone of his gender and age. A horse is a slightly intimidating being when you catch yourself wondering if you can even mount it without any help at all. Thankfully, Flagon had to leave to attend to some business; if he were there to witness it, he would never stop giving him hell for it and would most likely suggest that they get him a miniature pony.

Church makes his first attempt at mounting his mare. His feet get caught in the stirrup and he loses his balance for a moment, wobbling dangerously until his other leg finds purchase on the animal's other side and he balances himself on the saddle. He shifts as he tests his position and caresses its mane before gathering the reins in his hands and giving its sides an experimental nudge. The horse trots forward after his second try, its pace is slow and leisure, but it is moving nonetheless.

Levi is still the only one that is painfully grounded on the floor, still unsure of how to start. He glances at his horse again, wondering if it is looking at him expectantly, and decides that he is comfortable just where he is, with both his feet on the ground. He is not used to asking others for help, so he cannot tell if he can even ask Isabel for some advice. He has always been the one that knew how to do everything, anyway.

"Watch out!"

He is jerked away from his thoughts when a scream reaches his ears, followed by an impossibly high neigh and hooves slamming on the grass beneath their feet. A horse runs in their direction as fast as its legs can carry it and the rider looks visibly shaken, hands tightly holding the reins and eyes just as tightly shut. Furlan's horse startles by the sudden commotion and begins to rise to its hind legs. Levi can only watch from his spot where roots seem to have grown around his feet as his friend struggles to maintain his position, and he is quickly aided by Isabel, who evaded the horse and ran to his side, fingers just barely managing to grasp the leather strip and calm the animal down.

With his heart still beating at the front of their throat, he notices from the sidelines as another horse enters the scene, much faster than the one running aimlessly around, its brown fur shimmering red in the midday sun, the white of her mare and tail wiping behind her. He knows who the rider is before he even sees her. It seems she is everywhere, at different places all at once. And she is _fast_ ; it only takes her a handful of seconds to reach the spooked horse and seize it by the reins, slowing down to a stop and immediately dismounting from her own steed. Her hands are tugging her subordinate away from the horse and practically dragging a shocked, mostly limp body to the side, away from dangerous hooves and anything that can induce injury.

The members of Flagon's team immediately approach the other captain, all hovering around or kneeling close to the cadet she rescued. It is a boy with skinny limbs despite all the muscle that must lay beneath his clothes and skin, with unnaturally full cheeks and hair that falls over his eyes and ears. "Damnit, Borlov," she hisses as she checks for his vital pulse; the woman that has been keeping watch over Isabel for the past thirty minutes aids her in moving the unconscious boy. "Can you take him to the infirmary? I have to keep my eyes on the other two."

"Yes, captain." The rest of Flagon's group help the woman haul the body up and away from her reach, moving at an impressive speed back to the castle.

She stands as she watches them go, hands tightly curled by her sides. "They were just waiting for an opportunity to get rid of us," Furlan states as he approaches her and she turns around to face him. "You are much better company than them, anyway."

"I know most of them give you all hell most of the time," she easily overlooks his not so subtle compliment and strides towards the horses, "but that's their way of coping with the fact that you know how to use the equipment rather well." Her lips purse and her squinted eyes turn heavenward.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Captain." Isabel reassures her with a smile. "It was just a scare. Here, I'll take care of the horses for you."

Ackerman watches as she approaches the previously spooked horse and rubs its neck comfortingly. "I see you're good with animals," she muses in a low voice, but gives the younger woman no chance to reply and marches away towards her steed.

The horse nudges her shoulder and she places her palm on its snout, gliding it along its length as she lets a brief smile flash only for her mare to see. With a gentle slap on its back, she urges it to wander away freely to graze on the vibrant grass and watches both Magnolia and Church leading the horse back to the stable for the time being, taking their own along. It is only when Ackerman turns that she spots him standing there standing an awkward distance away from his new teammate.

She has covered half the distance between them when her lips part, "Never ridden a horse before?"

"No, there were plenty of horses in the underground." A scowl follows his sarcastic remark. "What do you think, brat? Of course not."

"I think you need to work on your attitude because it will make me regret ever entertaining the idea of trying to teach a midget like you. My patience is running pretty thin today." She is calm as ever, voice slightly less detached than it was on the previous day when they were heading for the castle. "Just place your feet in the stirrup and use momentum to mount on it."

He lets his glare linger on her face for one moment longer before he does as she said, using his feet still on the ground to kick away from the terrain and swings his leg over to the other side of the animal's torso. His rough landing is a clear sign that he needs more practice and he fumbles to hook his other feet on the other stirrup.

"I'll give you a quick overview and in a few days you should be fine." Her hands grab his arm and shin, pulling them back. He feels his face contorting at the invasion of his personal space, but as usual, she ignores him. "Keep a straight line from your head to your heels, shoulders and elbows aligned with it, and keep your back upright." Her palm is on his lower back in the next moment, and he naturally leans away from her touch, straightening his spine as she advised.

Next, she is adjusting his feet. "Keep the balls of your feet on the stirrup and point your toes to the sky, it helps." Ackerman flexes his ankles until they are in the desired position and lastly she adds, speaking faster than before. "Remember to keep your thighs squeezed around your horse and start with gentle kicks of your heels to its side. You'll eventually figure out what gets your horse moving."

Ackerman moves away from him just as Furlan and Isabel enter his line of vision. Her lips curl inwards and she whistles sharply, and her horse responds to her call immediately, trotting to her side. She is graceful as she mounts her horse, her face turned to the side as she watches the rest of her team that has been left unattended for the past five minutes or so. She is far from them in the next second, shouting orders at her subordinates and getting them to follow her to the other side of the field.

Furlan whistles, obviously impressed by the sight. "Boy, she's fast."

Indeed, she is. Ackerman got him on the horse in less than a minute and he did not even realize it until she was gone.


	5. v: Search

Have you seen that new meme going around of a guy walking with his gf, but he's checking out other girl? And then there's one edit that's like

gf: other interests

guy: me

girl: this new thing I'm obsessed with

That's me. I'm sorry.

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **v: Search**

* * *

That afternoon they find some free time and decide to put it to good use. Seeing as Isabel has to be around Ackerman whenever Flagon dismisses them, they will be using it on their favor. With her so close to one of the most important members of the Corps, she can easily find out where he is at any given time of the day and deliver that information to her friends.

The duo is sitting under the shade of a skinny tree when she approaches them and, without even stopping to draw attention to their group, tells them that Erwin is currently in a meeting with the Commander of the Corps. They wait until she is out of sight to stand up from the grass and aimlessly walk around the open field, taking their time to head for one of the doors of the castle. They pass by training cadets, sweat dripping down their brows as they perform reps of various strength exercises under the burning sun. Coupled with the lack of breeze today and the humidity of the air, it certainly feels like they are trapped in a greenhouse.

The significantly cooler corridor of the headquarters welcomes them with open arms, kissing the thin layer of perspiration that clings to their skin. Furlan wipes his forehead with his forearm and racks a hand through his slightly damp hair, brushing it back and away from his face. It sticks at odd angles and it is minimally oily on the roots; his cheeks are lightly flushed pink and he glances at Levi to see if he is in bad shape just as much as he is. There are beads of sweat trailing down the side of his face and neck, and some strands of hair are plastered on his temples, still he never mentions the need for a shower, mind far too focused on the job they are about to perform.

Other soldiers pass by them, none of them paying attention to the two newest additions as they head towards the many exits of the structure. When they find themselves alone after short minutes of walking, they turn around the corner and go up a set of stairs that leads to the second floor, where chambers and rooms that belong to the soldiers with higher ranks lay on the west wing. Furlan goes ahead as Levi keeps an eye out for the rear, narrow eyes scanning the intersection where hallways meet as he leans as casually as possible on the wall.

Church leans his ears on door after door, only opening them to peek inside once he is sure no one is there. There is no telling which one of them belongs to Erwin, so he steps inside and rummage through a few things as he tries to gather if it is the correct room. Some potted plants and flowers in the first one tells him that it belongs to someone else; an overly disorganized bedroom that would certainly have Levi crawling up the walls is another dead giveaway that it is the wrong bedroom. The third bedroom is ordered, though a bit of dust collected on the surface of the desk by the far corner. On top of that particular piece of furniture sits a black and gold tea set, well-polished and shimmering despite the specks of dirty on the desktop underneath, and a slip of paper with strange characters drawn on it.

He backs out of the room and closes it with a soft click, "I think I found Ackerman's room." He misses the way Levi looks over his shoulder from him to the door and lets his eyes linger on it for a moment.

After a few more tries, he finds the correct room. Shelves filled with books of many sizes and colors line most of the walls, a neatly made bed sits by the corner and on top of a chest of drawers is a painting for a younger version of Erwin and a man with eyebrows as thick as his own. "Found it," he hisses as he pokes his head out into the corridor and once spotting Levi's nod, he slips back inside and cracks his knuckles.

Furlan starts with the chest of drawers, silently pulling each one of them open and poking around the many items inside. He lifts piles of folded shirts and pants, shuffles around some pairs of socks and even underwear, but finds nothing in the first two. The third drawer contains files that are dated to be from year old missions, some empty envelopes and letters he received, supposedly from relatives. The last drawer has a compilation of assorted things, ranging from sewing supplies to a pair of round glasses kept inside a little box.

With a sigh, he stands to his full height and turns to one of the shelves, carefully pulling a book out and quickly thumbing through the pages. There might be something important between the worn out, yellowed pages, but the amount of books is far too big for one person to look through by themselves. The three of them would need to be there for some good hours until they searched through all of them. Still, he flips the pages of another three books before returning them in order to their previous place and turning to the bed.

He crouches down to peek underneath, spotting boxes with shoes inside and a stray, forgotten white button. Furlan lifts the small rug by the corners and finds nothing; there is nothing underneath the pillow and the shelves as well. He pulls at the thin curtains and comes up with the same result. Searching here is fruitless, he realizes as he exhales through his nose and places his hands on his hips, letting his eyes dart about in hopes he will find something that was previously overlooked.

Just as he turns around and prepares to leave, he halts and glances to his left. The painting hangs there, looking harmless as it is, but years of living in the underground tell him that there is something more to it. Carefully, he pulls it away, revealing a safe that sit in a hole cut in the brick wall. Before he can even let his fingers graze the cold surface of the metal, the sound of a singing nightingale reaches his ears and he quickly returns the framed picture to its perch on the wall, leaves the room as silently as he entered and they escape the scene soundlessly, leaving no proof of their presence behind.

* * *

They only see Isabel again that evening. Already sitting in their usual spot with their bowls of food and loaves of bread, she approaches them minutes later and falls on her seat ungracefully, groaning as she rotates her neck to ease some of the tension. "So, what was it like spending the after with Team Buffoon?"

She sighs exasperatedly and takes a deep gulp of her water. "They're like kids, except two of them, that is." Shrugging her shoulders indifferently, her teeth tore a piece from her bread and she spoke around it. "I think she got tired of being nice, though."

"Is that so?" Furlan quirks an eyebrow as he dips a slice of his bread into the soup.

Isabel nods as she swallows. "Yeah. Zoe was there and they were both talking about some meaningless thing, and three of them started fucking around. She just shouted at them 'no more games' and ordered that they ran laps around the perimeter of the castle until nightfall." Her green eyes flicker towards the window and she snorts. "They ran for like five hours or something. They're dead on their feet right now."

Levi discreetly glances at the table Ackerman's team is occupying. Indeed, three of them have their faces planted on the wood while the other two calmly eat their dinner and share a few words with each other. He looks around the mess hall, trying to locate her with either the other captains or sitting with some other cadets, but she is nowhere in sight.

Turning back to his meal, he eats the first spoonful of soup and looks up at Furlan. "So?"

He perks up, lifting his eyebrows up to his hairline. "There's a safe behind a painting in his room, Isabel." He breathes out the discovery quietly as the older man in their group observes if anyone is eavesdropping. "I didn't have much time to inspect it, but we'll need either a combination of numbers or a key."

She hums, twisting her lips. "If it's a combination, then maybe there's a slip of paper with it written somewhere."

"And if it's a key, he's carrying it."

"We still have to look through his office," Levi said definitely, pointedly looking to their side so they would catch the hint. Still a bit away from them, but on their table nonetheless, two people claimed seats on the other side of the benches.

Light grey eyes fall on Isabel and she nods, silently telling them that she will find a way to figure out when his office will be empty. In silence, they finish their meals, and before they leave the mess hall for good, Levi looks around once more looking for her.

* * *

Inside their bedroom, Furlan and Levi do not talk much. Even though they are careful not to say anything too suspicious even when they are alone, they prefer to keep a low profile, which is hard considering they have a rather infamous reputation, so they go about their routine before bed in silence, silently folding uniforms and setting them aside, cleaning their boots and pushing them against the wall to keep a clear path in the center of the room.

Levi is halfway up the ladder to the top of the bunker bed when the door opens and the two boys they share the room with enter mid conversation. "Man, Borlov is so fucked." The sentence is followed by a chuckle and a snort. "He's going to quit before the first expedition."

"Borlov is the guy Ackerman helped today, yeah?"

The air stirs following Furlan's inquiry, silence draping over the room like a heavy blanket. Levi half expects the other two to shut up and ignore his friend, but to his surprise, the boy continues after clearing his throat. "No, that was Rael."

"Borlov is the one that spooked the horse." The other guy provides, "He's from our training squad."

Furlan nods in understanding. "And why is he so fucked?"

"Well, he _is_ in Ackerman's team. Only the most rebellious cadets end up there." For the first time since they arrived, Levi looks at the other two occupants of the room. The one that is talking has black hair styled in an attempted pompadour, brown eyes and freckles on his olive skin. "She's the one who disciplines the worst of the worst, after all."

That explains why Erwin said Isabel could be moved to her team if she deemed it fit. His bare feet touch the floor as he gives up going to his bed and turns to face the three men. "Ackerman said she had to be disciplined by Erwin when she joined the Corps."

The guy with ginger hair and the first traces of a fuzzy beard appearing on his jaw shares a glance with his friend before saying, "He was quickly climbing up the ranks. Commander Shadis personally chose her to correct the newcomers in his place."

"The veterans told us some stories about her. I'm Nyeve, by the way." The dark haired boy introduced himself and motioned to his friend, "This is Gustaf."

"I'm Furlan, that's Levi, though I guess you already know since we were introduced yesterday." Church easily towers over the three of them; he backs away to sit on his thin mattress. "What stories?"

Gustaf is unbuckling his maneuvering equipment as he speaks, eyebrows pinched in concentration. "Mateo is the only one from the first Rectify Team that survived. He is the only one that actually bothered to listen to her and pull through her strict regimen, so naturally, he is the only one that returned from their first expedition."

Furlan lifted his eyebrows in astonished silence as Levi's jaw set tightly in place. "Rael was part of the second team that was thrusted in her hands; he's the only one that chose to remain in the Corps." Nyeve amends, voice muffled as his shirt was halfway up his head. "They come here thinking that, if they act like assholes and are a general pain in the ass, they won't be selected to go out in missions and will instead remain inside the walls."

"Why do they even choose to join the Corps if they're not willing to go out?"

"Who knows?" Gustaf shrugs. "Ackerman has to discipline them and put them in line, and if still they choose to disobey the orders given, it's most likely that they'll die out there." The redhead is pushing his boots under their bunker bed, kneeling on the floor with his back turned to them. "She tries to save everyone, but she's only one person. Thankfully, the other cadets that were entrusted to her quickly learned of the fates of those that died and decided to change."

"She doesn't seem like she's that strict," Furlan confesses with a frown marring his young features. "It's hard to imagine her bossing other people around."

Nyeve snorts as he carelessly kicks his shoes away. "Ackerman dedicates the first three days to observe how the new recruits act and in the meantime she passes as the most disinterested captain there is."

"We've been here for only a week and she spent most of it away on a mission," bright blue eyes flicker in their direction shortly, letting them know that the mission meant capturing them, "so Zoe was keeping tabs on them. Today she finally got tired of being nice and gave them a taste of what is to come."

"Still, she is a nice person." The dark haired man discloses as he goes up the ladder and flops on his stomach on top of his mattress. "They say that she and Zoe are the easiest ones to approach if you need help with anything, but she is also the scariest as well when she loses her cool."

Gustaf tries to fluff out his thin pillow, but gives up moments after. "We advise you to do as Flagon says. I'm sure her regimen is far worse than running for hours."

Furlan nods as Levi heads up to his bed and the room is engulfed by darkness as the distant sound of a bell lets them know that curfew time has started. He lies on his back staring up at the ceiling as he processes the information he just learned. From the few things Isabel shared about Ackerman's group and from the things he had seen, he was beginning to think that the Captain had no desire to correct them in any form or shape. The idea of seeing them run laps around the perimeter of the castle was not as satisfying as knowing that she will certainly put them through hell on the following weeks to shape them up to real, respectable soldiers.

Levi was never fond of any of the branches of the Military ever since he was young, but he knows how careless and disinterested people can jeopardize a mission and put everyone else in danger. Fools were the ones that tried to act by themselves in foreign terrains filled with monsters that could easily crush a human between their forefinger and thumb; fools were the ones that chose to join the Survey Corps instead of the Garrison thinking that if they were undisciplined enough they would only have to do labor work in the headquarters.

Still, he wonders how she lives knowing that the majority of her first team died in their first mission. This knowledge puts things in perspective; if people that had proper training and still had to deal with her before leaving the walls for the first time died out there, he can only imagine what can happen to them, simple people from the slums that learned to use the equipment by themselves. Even if they obey orders given, what are the chances that they will come back in one piece?

Irritably, he shoves the thoughts away and turns to lie on his stomach, shoving his face on his pillow and closing his eyes. No one is going to die. They are going to finish their job and return to live in Mitras.


	6. vi: Dawn

Hey, guys! It's been a while! Picking this back up as I've been doing with a lot of forgotten fanfics of mine. I'm trying to fit this into a schedule, so maaaybe the next update will come some time in April.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **vi: Dawn**

* * *

He wakes up from a restless night at the crack of dawn. It feels like he closed his eyes and it was already time for him to rise, as if he blinked and time flew by too fast. His body feels sluggish as he climbs down the ladder and nearly drags his feet to the shower barracks, hissing when the cold water hits his back and trying to force his eyes open.

Levi does not want to think about the hellish dreams he had at night, images of his friends trapped between teeth the size of his head and bleeding, bleeding, bleeding as they scream his name and ask for help. He does not want to think about the possibility that any of them can die at any given moment after they leave the security of the walls, of the enormous creatures that none of them had ever seen before and will have to slay. Training target practice in the woods is something; facing the real living, breathing thing is another entirely.

The towel drags down his face and he studies the shadows beneath his eyes for just a second, and then turns away to dress himself. He allows his mind to dwell on these things while he is alone in the bathroom surrounded by lingering steam, but the moment he steps out, the thoughts are pushed away to the darkest corner of his head and he can only hope that he will forget about it. He cannot allow himself to have these thoughts whenever he sees any of them or has to be in their presence; he cannot let them know that he fears the possibility that someone may not return.

The mess hall is empty that morning, void of any presence, no teapot and cup on the table by the window where she sat the morning before. What takes him there in the first place is a mystery, and once he realizes where he is and who he is unconsciously seeking, Levi stalks away with a deep scowl on his face and tense shoulders. His strides as quick and stiff as he weaves his way through the hallways and out to the crisp early morning air, breathing in the scent of damp earth and he navigates to the hanging line to leave his towel to dry.

There are considerably less clouds in the sky today, but the scenery as a whole is still one of the best things he has ever seen. He takes more steps, as if he walks enough he will be able to reach the sunrise, and stops on top of the hill where one can easily see the fields and training area.

And he sees her.

He goes down the slope towards her group, watching from afar as she barks undiscernible orders to the three cadets on the ground. The sunrise, the waking birds, the wet grass against his boots are forgotten as his eyes never stray from the scene unfolding before his nose, having the chance to witness first hand as she disciplines the most rebellious of cadets, in Nyeve's words.

"Levi," she is the first to acknowledge the other, as usual, even though he is still a pretty good distance away from her. One of her subordinates falter in his reps at the mention of his name and it is not missed by her ever watchful eyes. "No slacking, Anton!"

"Yes, sir!"

He is finally within range when he crosses his arms and halts his stride to observe as they do pushups without pause. "For how long have they been here?"

Her dark irises glance up at the sky, frowning as if noticing just now that the sun is starting to rise. "I have no idea."

Levi feels an odd sense of satisfaction when he hears her reply. "Permission to stop, sir!"

The soles of her boot press flat on the soldier's back, applying pressure to his already sloppy movements. "You stop when I tell you to, Borlov!"

"But, sir!"

"Levi!" She barks, foot still making Borlov's life harder in that moment. "Step on Anton's back so he will learn not to question my authority."

He calmly walks over to the curly haired boy, noticing the flicker of emotion on his flushed face when he craned his neck around to look at him. "I don't want this street rat touching me–"

"I give the orders here!" With a nod from the captain, he places his foot in the middle of his spine, purposefully landing most of his weight on that leg so the young man can hardly extend his arms.

The third member of her team that is going through the first stages of the regimen is quiet, silently accepting what is thrown at her. Her bright blonde hair is coming loose of its bun and her breathing is labored, but she keeps quiet even as her arms give away under her own weight, quickly scrambling up to resume what she has been doing. Ackerman assents her head in approval at the girl's antics, seemingly satisfied that someone is willing to learn how to properly obey to their superiors.

Borlov is gasping for air when he croaks out. "Captain, I can't go on."

"Bullshit." She lifts her boot from his back only to forcefully plant its sole on his side and shove him onto his back. He wheezes, hand grabbing at his side as if she just kicked him and broke his ribs. "Titans don't care if you're tired or not. You either fight or you die." With her foot now on his sternum and pushing down until he is begging for air, she says slowly, lowly, menacingly. "You will run until breakfast is served." Taking a step back, Ackerman lowers herself to one knee, bringing her face close to his to shout in his ear, "Go!"

Levi looks down at the boy beneath him as Borlov rolls over and tries to stand on his shaking limbs as fast as possible, taking in large gulps of air as his half assed jog turns into a full blown sprint across the field. He wishes he could force him to lie on his face on the dirty for calling him a dirty rat, but he keeps his muscles in place as it is just waiting for her next orders.

"You two."

"Yes, sir!" They scream in unison, never once stopping the incessant reps of pushups.

"On your feet. Squats, now!"

"Yes, sir!"

He walks away from them, allowing Anton to stand and do as he is told. Ackerman moves over to the foot of the hill and sits down on the dew covered grass, her bored gaze overlooking the moving forms of her newest subordinates. Levi stops beside her just as she is touching the front of her neck from under her dark scarf, lightly clearing her throat after all the screaming she had to do for the past minutes, and she reaches for a canteen of water lying nearby, takes a sip and tilts it in his direction in a silent offering. He declines, instead choosing to admire the view while she is not screaming at the cadets.

Inhaling slowly and deeply, she stretches her legs before her, leaning back on her hands, and tilts her head back until her neck pops. He tries to focus on the trees in the distance, the faraway mountains and the scarce clouds floating overhead, but it is hard to concentrate when she is running her elegant fingers through her hair and inspecting the tips disinterestedly. Ackerman crosses a leg over the other and looks up from her dark, dark locks just in time to see Anton fall on his ass after a poorly developed squat.

"Sorry that he insulted you." His gaze flickers in her direction, but she is looking ahead past her subordinates, past the trees and past the mountains with a purse on her abnormally natural pink lips.

He looks away. "You shouldn't be apologizing in his stead."

She agrees with a simple nod of her head and a sigh. "Anton isn't the kind to apologize. He's too prideful, comes from an upper-class family and all."

"Street rat is like a compliment in the underground," he shifts his stance, "I've heard worse."

"Still, that was uncalled for." Creases form on her forehead as she frowns at the landscape before them. "You did what you did to survive."

Levi looks down at her with slightly pinched brows. "I doubt killing some people would have been necessary."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Her eyes close briefly, lashes fluttering in the gentle breeze that sweeps by in that moment. "But you're a good man, Levi."

"You don't know me."

"You're right, I don't." She looks up at him then and he finds himself paralyzed. "But I can tell that you care for your friends deeply and want them safe. That makes you a good man."

Ackerman pushes herself to her feet then and walks towards her subordinates, strides gradually gaining purpose and poise, confidence and power as she barks out another order and has them trampling away for the showers after the most half-assed salute he has ever seen since his arrival.

She whirls around and backtracks her steps, stretching her arms to the sides and upwards before shaking them and bending at the waist to retrieve her canteen. "There's still time for tea before breakfast. Do you want some?"

He should just say no and tell her to go to hell for thinking that she can call him a good man when he is there just to kill her once team captain and now most likely close friend – but the words die in his throat when he looks into her dark, tired eyes full of secrets, full of images of people she was supposed to protect dying before her very face.

So he nods and follows her back to the castle.

* * *

Levi lingers by the sidelines watching her make green tea. There is a kettle on the wood stove and she is quietly measuring the correct amount of leaves and placing them inside the teapot. The cracking of the fire and the light sounds of metal touching rich porcelain fill the atmosphere as the sunlight creeps into the kitchen and casts long shadows on the floors. There is some sort of melancholy in the way she takes controlled breaths, the way she handles the tea set and green leaves, movements far more careful and slower than usual, as if afraid that they will break at the lightest of touches.

It is a feeling he knows all too well, having delicate teacups snap in your grasp and send everything falling down only to crash at your feet, but he knows that is not her case. If it were, she would be handling cups the way he does, holding them by the rims and nearly scalding his fingertips in the process. He thinks back to when Furlan said spotting a brand new looking tea set on a desk in her bedroom, and he wonders for a brief second if that has anything to do with the way she prepares her tea.

The calming air that settled between them is disrupted as the door creeks open and a blond head pokes inside. "Here you are," Furlan enters the kitchen with a very much looking dead-on-her-feet Isabel tracing his steps with languid strides. "Good morning, Captain."

"Morning," the girl mumbles, not bothering to salute as her friend had.

"Morning, Church, Magnolia." She replies without turning to face them, halting her movements as she speaks. "Would you like some tea as well?"

The maroon haired one lifts a hand as the other rubs at her eyes tiredly. "I want some, yeah."

"Isabel!" Furlan reprimands her lightly in a hiss, but Ackerman shrugs her shoulders and turns to add more water to the kettle.

"It's no problem. More supplies will be coming tomorrow."

Their friend stretches like a cat with a loud yawn, spine arching as she leans backwards. "Lynna was crying in the shower just now, Captain."

Ackerman hums absentmindedly as she gathers more cups from the shelf. "Funny, I saw her minutes ago and she seemed fine."

It occurs to him that they are talking about the blonde girl in her team, the one that kept quiet throughout the torture she was put through as form of punishment for her actions on the previous days. She took it all well, despite the fact that she broke down in the shower; at least she did not do it in front of her team leader, which would have been humiliating.

When they move to the mess hall and settle by the windows, she sees Borlov still running laps around the castle, face red as a tomato and hair drenched in sweat. Levi witnesses as emotions battle in her grey irises before she averts them from the sight and busies herself with pouring tea for the four of them, carefully holding the lid back with two fingers as she tilts the teapot. "It's unsweetened," she says as she pushes a cup towards Magnolia with her fingertips only. "There's sugar in a jar in the kitchen if you want some."

"Ackerman."

She raises her head and looks at the door. The air around them shifts as the three people in her company grow still at the sound of the very familiar male voice calling for the captain. There is no rush in her movements as she stands from her seat and places a hand over her heart in the standard salute. "Captain Erwin."

His eyes glance around the room, examining the trio of inhabitants of the slums, two with heads turned away and one unwaveringly meeting his stare. "Can I talk to you?" He asks once his orbs set on her form again.

"Yes, sir."

It feels like seconds drag by at an excruciatingly slow pace. It is as if Levi can suddenly see in slow motion, see the way her legs move with every step, the way some strands of hair flow with the movement, the way she blinks with her eyes set straight ahead, the way her fingers are so loosely unclenched. It is as if he can see Erwin keeping his eyes forcefully trained on her approaching form, never straying to the side to look back at him or at his friends. It is as if he can see his muscles coiling, ready to turn and leave once she stops a respectful distance away.

It is as if he can see the way the light plays in her eyes when she turns to look at them for the briefest of moments, gaze locking with his for a heartbeat, before she faces forward again and disappears from sight as steam spirals up from her untouched cup of tea.


	7. vii: Overheard

Hello again! Here we are with the next chapter. Thanks for the patience! The next one should come in two weeks!

Enjoy!

* * *

 **vii: Overheard**

* * *

As soon as the steps fade away, the three jump from their seats and Levi shoves the windows open. Jumping out into the morning air, they run the correct distance necessary to shoot their grappling hooks at the roof of the castle and launch themselves up, landing on the balls of their feet as soundlessly and softly as cats. Just as they did not know which room belongs to Erwin, they do not know which of the windows lead to his office. They split ways, each searching in a different direction, until Magnolia calls for them with her hands cupped around her mouth as she imitates the singing sounds of a robin.

The sun has risen further now and soon other soldiers will be waking up and venturing inside and outside the headquarters. She offers to stand guard and keep an eye out for anyone that might see them as the two men attach their grapples to the edge of the room and dangle on the side of the building, each one placed in a different side of the window. Pristine white curtains billow inside the room, and they adjust their feet and position to better accommodate themselves.

Levi and Furlan share a look, silently conversing, and when the door of the office opens, they turn to the window and strain their ears.

* * *

Erwin motions her inside with a sweep of his upturned palm and quietly clicks the door shut behind his back. Mikasa stands in the middle of the room facing his work desk as he rounds around the room and stops by a small table by the right wall. She has never seen someone that has as many books in their possession as him; even Hanji does not have as much and that is saying something. Their bedroom, most of the time, resembles a wreckage, with notes and textbooks and test results lying about carelessly. One has to wonder how they manage to find what they need in that chaotic room.

She watches from the corner or her eyes as he pours himself a rich smelling amber liquid in a glass and swirls it around before taking a sip, and snorts lightly, placing a hand on her hip and cocking it to the side. "Really?" He faces her with arched eyebrows and glass still on his lips. "Whiskey at six in the morning?"

"Better than coffee." He raises his glass to her and she wrinkles her nose. "You should try it."

"You know well that I and alcohol don't mix."

Erwin moves over to his chair and pulls it back, its legs lightly scrapping on the carpet before he sits down. "I'll never forget that night, Mikasa. For that matter, neither will Mike and Hanji." There is a slight curve to his lips as he sets his drink to the side and shuffles assorted files and documents on his hands.

"Let's go straight to the point so you'll spare me from reliving the memories."

"Very well," he dips his head in a slow nod and opens the first drawer of his desk looking for his pen. "What do you think of your new team?"

She frowns lightly at his question. "They're just as bad as any of my previous teams."

He hums low in his throat, as if musing over her words. She knows damn well that he is doing anything but. "What about chances of survival?"

"Too early to say, sir." Mikasa replies honestly as she shifts her weight to her other leg and loosely crosses her arms under her bust. "I'm confident Mateo and Rael will return from the next expedition. I just started training the other three this morning."

"So that explains the boy running around aimlessly and barely managing to keep standing." She nods and he flips through the first document with little interest, gaze skimming over the letters printed on its white surface. "What else?"

A breeze blows in and plays with the stray lock of hair that hangs between her eyes. "I heard from Magnolia just moments ago that Elrora Lynna was crying in the shower barracks after I dismissed her."

A brief chuckle comes from him and he swallows it down with a swig of his whiskey. "As far as I know, no one ever cried when I had to correct the new recruits."

Mikasa keeps quiet and waits, waits because she knows she is there for a reason and her instincts tell her that she unknowingly stirred the conversation in the direction he wanted to go. He is silent as he reads through the first paragraphs and she allows herself to watch the sky from where she stands, colors washing away and slowly dissipating as the sun crawls higher and higher over the line of the horizon.

When she spots the slightest of shifts of his shoulders, her gaze snaps back to him and focus on his form. Just a second later, he speaks. "It's about Levi and his friends."

"I figured as much." It is understandable and, in all honesty, predictable. Magnolia is always shadowing her steps in her free time because she was ordered to, and from all of the other squads and team leaders, she is the one that has interacted with Levi and Furlan the most.

Erwin signs his name at the bottom of the last page and places the file aside, the first of many that will pile up on the corner of his desk. "Flagon's opinion is biased because he was against adding them to the Corps since the beginning, so I want to hear it from you." His eyes flicker up to hers and they hold together before he glances back down at the next document. "What are they like?"

"Despite what everyone thinks because of their origins," she starts slowly, letting her gaze trace over the many books on the shelf to her left. "They are actually civil. Would you believe that?" He huffs in amusement at her sarcastic remark and reaches over for his glass; that is her cue to keep talking. "I understand other soldiers feel threatened because they didn't go under training to be accepted in the Corps, but they taught themselves how to use the vertical maneuvering equipment. That should count for something."

"We can't treat them as if they're special because of that, Mikasa."

"Well, we can't treat them differently either, Erwin."

He looks up, really looks up at her at the sound of his first name, and she pinches her eyes closed as her mouth sucks in a lungful of oxygen. She misses the frown that creases his forehead. "Care to explain?"

Mikasa exhales through her nose and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear before disclosing, her fingertips rubbing at the inner corner of her eyes, a sign that she is getting worked up. "It's just... Their skills are a great addition to the Corps, though they need to be disciplined. While Magnolia and Church can be easy to work with, Levi isn't a bundle of rainbow and sunshine and Flagon is far too, as you said, biased to try and not let his personal feelings get in the way." She licks her lips idly, gaze flitting about the room. "His judgement is getting clouded and this will create more conflicts between the three of them and his team, and whatever comes out of this can affect the Corps as a whole, sir."

"Mikasa, are you–"

"Can I just add that Dimitri Alton called Levi a street rat this morning in his face? I was there; he insulted him in front of me."

"Calm down, Ackerman."

She lets out a huff and cups her flushed cheeks, forcing air into her body. Dealing with some petulant cadets is far easier and more bearable when they are not throwing insults left and right. Erwin is looking at her with a concerned flicker in his blue irises, although his expression remains pretty much the same. His pen and paperwork lie forgotten before him, as does his glass of whiskey.

"Sit down." She shakes her head no, but grips the chair before her and leans most of her weight on it as her head hangs down, dark locks obscuring her face from view. Once her shoulders have settled in a smaller pace and she is not gasping for air anymore, he speaks in his rarely used comforting voice. "I know how you feel about name calling, I know. I've seen a lot of broken noses and black eyes in the past seven years since you joined the Corps." That makes her click her tongue against the back of her teeth and she knows that he knows there is a ghost of a smile on her face. "Mike says you have the best uppercut in the entire Military."

A weak chuckle escapes her lips and her head lifts from its bowed position. "I might as well have."

A smile flickers across his features. "I don't doubt it, but it was because of it that you got stuck with me for some years."

"They were a hell of a couple of years, if you don't mind me saying."

"I don't, even though I should." He rubs his chin as he averts his eyes for a moment, pondering over it for a brief second. "The difference is that they can't go punching people around whenever they're offended or confronted about something. You can't also blame Flagon and his team, or the rest of the corps, alone, Mikasa. You know and you've seen firsthand in the underground that they can be very prideful. Church may jump in once or twice to stop a fight, but Levi and Isabel don't try much to hold back when things are thrown their ways."

Mikasa tilts her head away from him, dark eyes downcast as she examines the wood floorboards beneath her booted feet. Not a word leaves her mouth in that moment, choosing instead to keep quiet and wait for whatever he will say when he makes up his mind. In the meantime, she can only wish that the world were a little less cruel than it is.

His chair creaks softly as he leans back on his seat with a quiet sigh. "I trust that you won't intervene with Flagon's ways, Mikasa. They're part of his squad and your hands are already full."

Her shoulders heave with a sigh and she dips her head. "Yes, sir."

"Give it time. It's just the dawn of the second day. There are many days ahead of us and many things can happen in the meantime." His fingertips glide along his hairline as he stops for a breath, elbow firmly planted on the mahogany desk before him. "They interacted with his squad for only one afternoon, that's not enough time to determine how this is going to happen. You're aware that nothing is set on stone. I'm sure Magnolia and Ciela will get along fine after some time; they both like horses, after all."

Erwin rearranges the sheets of paper on his desk idly as he continues. "And about personal feelings, you're one to talk. You have always sided with the ones you identify with the most, even if it meant going against orders."

A fleeting grin takes over her features and she rearranges the scarf around her neck. Noticing that his eyes trace over the movements of her hands, she pats the place over her sternum and gives him a reassuring nod. A robin sings near the windows of his office, the music clear to their ears. Instinctively, her gaze flickers to the window, but no bird is seen in the sky.

When Mikasa returns her glance to his face, she frowns at the flicker of _something_ that flashes for a split second in his blue pools. "Sir? Is everything alright?"

Focus returns to his eyes and he blinks once. "The birds are out already." Noticing the confused look she wears on her face, Erwin brushes it away with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The expedition will happen in three weeks as opposed to the five-week it was before." He hooks a finger around the corner of the page and turns it. "Make sure your team is prepared by then."

"Right," she replies slowly, and slips back into an all-professional persona. "How are preparations for your promotion?"

"They are well." He sips his drink once again, already back in work mode. "Commander Shadis says he will pass down his position to me after the expedition. He wants to participate in this one as a commander, still."

"That's a nice farewell gift." She hums in acknowledgement. "I'll be taking my leave, then, sir."

His head nods absentmindedly, attention now completely focused on the sheets before him.

* * *

The call from Isabel jerks them into action, feet kicking against the brick to gain some boost so they can climb back up to the roof with more ease. A couple of soldiers surface from the vegetation, hands pressing down on wrinkles in their shirt and brushing away stray leaves from their hair. Magnolia presses a closed fist to her mouth so she will not laugh, but the things her friends eavesdropped demand more attention than any amusing sight of a silly couple going against the no fraternization rules.

She backs two feet away when they land, knees bending to absorb most of the impact. Levi flexes his fingers as Furlan glimpses over the edge of the roof at the window and ground below, making sure that no one in the office truly saw them, and turns to his friends with slight creases on his forehead.

"Well?" The shorter man ignores her question and instead starts to walk away, feet light and careful as he steps on the blue roof tiles. "What did they say?" She demands in a harsh whisper, her thin eyebrows knitting together in the middle.

Furlan meets her exigent eyes that burn in green flames with his own, calm light grey and slightly troubled. "They said nothing that's important." Comes Levi's voice from behind her back. "It was just useless chit chat that won't help us at all. We wasted our time here."

The taller man holds his breath for a second and lets it out in a rush, running his fingers through his tousled hair. "That's right. All they talked about was her team and their chances of survival outside the walls."

"But," she frowns up at him, dusting the back of her pants before making to follow Levi. "But why would he call her just to talk about this?"

Light grey and blue meet for a moment, exchanging silent words. With a shrug, Furlan tries to act as nonchalant as he can. "Who knows? Weirdos come in packs. You didn't really think only her team was strange, did you?"

Isabel snorts and grins at him. "Guess you're right!"

They fall into silence, each lost in their own minds. It is an unexpected turn of events. When they lived in the slums, they only cared for each other and that care stretched to those that paired up with them to complete a task or another, there never was any person that would frequently check on them. Ackerman's words could be seen simply as a report from a subordinate to a squad leader, could be seen simply as her complimenting their skills and trying to prevent a misunderstanding or a fight from happening. After all, as someone that has to discipline those that do not follow orders, it is in her nature to keep an eye out for any possible animosity that might arise.

However, there was the barest of hints of concern in her voice that was further supported by Erwin's claim that she has the habit of siding with those she identifies the most. Isabel did not need to know about it; it has only been a couple of hours and she is already eager to see Ackerman in action. Levi dares say that she is starting to look up to her. Why he does not know; perhaps she saw something in the soldier when she had to follow her everywhere for the past day.


	8. viii: Night

Heya! I just realized I haven't finished reading the manga for ACWNR, aaaand I need some parts from it for the next chapter lmao

Enjoy!

* * *

 **viii: Night**

* * *

Levi does not see her again in the days that lead up to his first expedition. Actually, he does see her; it is hard not to when it still feels like she is pulling his eyes to her. They do not interact much, though, for she is always seen with her team shouting orders at them. The cup of tea they shared in one early morning begins to feel like a distant memory with every day that passes and he sees her standing over the struggling forms of the ones she is trying to correct.

He himself is training a lot despite the fact that he believes three weeks of this routine will not change him much, will not ready him enough to the Corps' standards, though, honestly, he does not care at all about it. He does as he is told, if only to avoid unnecessary conflict, and breezes through sparring sessions and training for random periods of time back in the woods. Riding his horse is still the thing he struggles most with, however he hides it well. His steed does not seem to like him as much as the other horses like his friends, and maybe the animal can sense and smell his bad personality.

Unlike the first two days in the base, Isabel spends the entire days with them. With Ackerman now too busy keeping a close watchful eyes over her soldiers and keeping them firmly in line, and also attending to meetings with other team and squad leaders and the commander, it is useless for Isabel to linger around her presence. They, too, do not have as much free time lately because of their schedule and the fact that they were added to the rooster of chores to be done around the castle. Levi does not mind having to sweep an entire floor and scrub some dishes until they are see-through, but he hates it the most when his team is assigned to kitchen duty. In the few times it happened, he offered to wash every utensil and clean the counters as the rest of them peeled and chopped produce, cooked and tasted soups and stews alike.

With her with them all day long, she cannot find out where Erwin is at any time of the day. He is rarely spotted in the mess hall during meals, let alone out in the field, though Mike and the rest of his group are always very easy to find, usually with Zoe or Ackerman. That leaves them with the only available course of action: sneaking into his office in the middle of the night when they – expect, hope – he is asleep in his quarters.

They come to an agreement to break into his office on the last night before they leave. It seems like the most plausible choice; he will need to be well rested for the expedition and will sleep in his own bed for maximum comfort instead of sleeping on a chair that will reward him with back pains. With that in mind, they live day after day, training and doing their chores, counting down the hours until they can put their plan into action.

That is why Levi finds himself leaning against the wall of the hallways in the still silence of the night, keeping watch as Furlan goes through the stuff in Erwin's office as he searches for the documents they were sent here for. Not a soul is in sight, all cadets and superiors sleeping in their rooms and preparing for the day that is to come. They are used to running on little to no sleep, so sacrificing a few hours is really no problem to any of them.

Everything is quiet and going smoothly, and he should have known something was bound to happen – something always happens – and when he realizes his mistake, it is too late to correct it. A doorknob turns awfully close to where he stands, the door is pulled back in an arch and the person steps out from one of the many offices that occupy the upper east wing of the castle. He grounds his feet in place, mind already running a mile a minute as he tries to think of any convincing excuses to throw at whoever it is. He needs to attract attention to himself and somehow let Furlan know that he needs to leave, or else everything can go downhill from here.

Part of him is surprised, though the other was half expecting it to happen, because they always end up crossing paths. It is something he has nearly grown used to in the past days, passing by her in the corridors or stopping short in his tracks so she will not run over him with her horse. Ackerman emerges from her office as she covers her mouth and tries to fight back a yawn. Levi grounds himself; perhaps, tired as she is, she will not notice him there and will simply walk away.

That, of course, does not happen.

Her eyes immediately land on him the moment the door clicks shut behind her back and her eyebrows arch minimally. "Levi," her tone is laced with unvoiced questions, and she turns to face him fully, waiting.

Thankfully, he has something to say. "I was looking for you."

"Me?" She takes short strides in his direction and mimics his position, or most of it. "Did something happen with Magnolia?"

Her inquiry reminds him of that one conversation between her and Erwin that he purposefully overheard one day, when it was hinted that she is concerned for them. "Do you have some tips for tomorrow?"

That deepens the frown she wears on her face and she chuckles wearily, rubbing a hand at one of her eyes. "No offense, but you don't seem like the kind of person to ask for advice." He wills his expression to remain impassive as she stifles another yawn. "Aside from following orders, all I can really tell you is not to leave the formation. Awful things happen when you get separated."

His nod is accompanied by a hum that he puts up for show just to pretend he is considering her words. "I'll keep that in mind."

She touches her fingers to his shoulder for a mere heartbeat and steps away from the wall. "I'll escort you back to your room. You shouldn't be here past curfew." Just as he begins to wonder how he is going to warn Furlan of this setback, Ackerman pats the pocket of her vest that lies over her breast and shakes her head. "Wait a moment, I forgot something."

When she slips past the now open door into the darkness of her office, Levi cups both hands over his mouth and whistles a faint melody, hoping that it will carry out in the long hallway and reach his friend's ears. For good measure, he repeats it once again, not letting his urgency show in the tunes that leave his lips, and his hands drop back to his side when only her silhouette is seen from where he stands. Now it is all up to Furlan to figure out a way to get the hell out of there without getting caught.

He falls into step with her, playing along, lingering only a foot behind as she guides him through the expanse of the moonlit corridor. She seems more awake now if her longer strides mean anything, and is as quiet as usual. Only the sounds of their rustling clothing and faraway crickets fill the air, because their steps are too silent to be heard and he wonders if, like him, she has learned to walk on light feet to avoid attracting attention to herself.

Levi does not want to admit it, does not even want to think about it, but she intrigues him more than he can express. If she really were just an ordinary woman that he just happened to rob her jewelry when she was walking home from a play, he would not think too much about it; maybe, he would remember her eyes for a couple of days and the memory would fade with time as it always does. However, she is no ordinary woman; she is a valuable piece in the Survey Corps, she is labeled as Humanity's Strongest, she has survived for seven years in this branch of the military. She is the last known Asian to be alive, with soft slanted eyes that are dark and bottomless. She shifts from a cold professional attitude to a quiet soldier, from a merciless captain to a woman that brews her tea as if she has all of the time in the entire world to dedicate to that task; her masks are so many that she leaves him wondering which one is the real one.

He did not think he would need to put up his walls the moment he decided to join the Corps, but now that she is already inside, there is no use trying to block her out. He is confident they will finish what they came here for and disappear before he needs to do something to push her away.

As they reach the top of the stairs, Ackerman slows down to a stop. As if fate has decided things can get worse in one night, Erwin steps onto the second floor and greets her, to which she replies with a salute, and only acknowledges him with a barely perceptible nod of his head. His blue eyes flicker to her face again, a shadow of a question ghosting over his irises.

Her fingers splay out on his back between his shoulder blades and he stiffens under her touch. "Levi couldn't sleep and wanted to talk about the expedition, sir. I was escorting him back to his quarters."

Erwin looks at him with an unreadable expression and assents curtly with his head. "Make sure to get some good rest yourself, Ackerman." He speaks without looking at the young woman in question, eyes boring into Levi's narrow ones. "You're expected to be in your best shape."

"Yes, sir."

He takes a step back and nods to her once again, side steps the both of them and walks down the hallway they just left. Levi follows him with his gaze, knowing that Furlan is not in his office anymore, and turns to Ackerman before she can move down the stairs. He freezes.

When he first saw her leaving her office, his only concern was warning Furlan that staying on the second floor was not safe anymore. Now that he looks at her with his mind more at ease, knowing that all he needs to do is go to the basement to rendezvous with his friends, he notices her. Really notices the way her features are ghostly pale under the bright moonlight, her dark hair blending with the shadows the linger around them, her slightly chapped and parted lips, her eyes hooded with sleep that watch after her commanding officer.

Levi snaps out of his stupor just as she stirs in his direction. "I can go back on my own," the words may have left his mouth too quickly, but he is eager to increase some very much needed distance between them. This is uncommon; never once did he feel this affected by a woman's looks.

Again, he has more self-control than this.

"Are you sure?"

He dares say her eyes seem almost relieved at his offer, but he cannot tell. It takes a lot of will not to look away from her face, but he cannot bear to look her in the eyes. "Yes. You should sleep."

A smile tugs at the corner of her lips, body turning towards the west wing. "So should you. Goodnight, Levi."

And he watches as her hands go up to her neck, slowly unravelling the black scarf from around her throat. He waits with bated breath to see the skin underneath, skin that looked so tantalizing that first night and that will surely haunt his dreams that night if he sees her flesh bathed in moonlight. His eyes focus themselves on the curve of her shoulder as the fabric slips away, mind wandering and wondering if it will look simply _kissable_ and absolutely _ravishing_.

He watches, he waits, but her hair covers it from view, not revealing even the slightest of peeks, and soon she disappears inside her bedroom.

* * *

The basement is empty save for crates of supplies and their presence there. Lit torches are illuminating the place, the shadows dancing with every crackle coming from the orange flames, and they group in one of the darkest corners, an easier place to hide just in case someone happens to be out past curfew as well. Isabel is sitting cross-legged on top of one of the boxes, and Levi finds a comfortable place to lean on in his usual fashion against two of the piled boxes.

Furlan stands before them with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face. "We're not gonna find it, it's no use." He pauses to allow a sigh to break through his lips. "It's not in his bedroom and his office is clean as well.

"So where do you think he's keeping it?" Asks Isabel as she leans forward with her elbows on her knees.

"If this document is important, then he's carrying it with him." His gaze flickers towards Levi, ever quiet as he only listens to his friend. "Or he's keeping it in the safe."

Isabel stretches her arms above her head. "I think it's in the safe."

"But we don't know for sure," he counters. "I was thinking we could use the expedition in our favor. Outside the walls, Erwin and the others will be too focused on the titans. We'll wait for an opportunity to kill him and seize the document if it's with him. If the right distraction is provided, not even Ackerman can stop us – if she's really as good as they say."

"Nice thinking, Furlan!"

He beams at her for a brief second. "Is that alright, Levi?"

"Yes," is his immediate reply, but his mind has already wandered off to a morning that seemed to happen so long ago, when they were captured and he surrendered to Erwin to keep them safe. If the mission goes wrong, he wants them to live. If the plan fails and they are caught, he wants them to be able to walk away without paying the price for treason. Among the three of them, he is the one that has done the worst of things and is far too tainted with sins to be given the chance to survive. With that in mind, he pushes away from the crates and faces them. "However, I'm going by myself."

"What?"

Levi holds his ground stubbornly. "Just think of an excuse and stay here."

Furlan is shocked beyond words; in contrast, Isabel's temper flares up instantly. "Why?"

He clicks his tongue against the back of his teeth, wishing he did not need to explain himself. "We've never seen a titan before and it's out first time outside the walls. We'll need to give it our all just to make it back alive, but I can do it if I'm alone."

The taller man of the group raises a hand to halt Isabel's incoming string of words. "Basically, you're saying that we can't handle it, right."

"Correct. At least, that's how I feel."

As many other things that happened that night, Levi should have known that they would not accept his predicament so easily and quietly. Isabel tries to argue, but he is having none of it. With final words, he parts from them, leaving his two agitated friends behind as he exits the basement and heads outside hoping to cool down. He does not know what path he took or how he got here, but he finds himself in one of the many terraces of the castle.

The breeze is warm that night and the sky is littered with clouds now, completely covering the moon that had allowed him to see into the hallways of the second floor minutes ago. He inhales deeply, letting his ribs expand to their limits, and slowly breathes out through his mouth. His muscles feel rigid and they start to ache, but he brushes it away and walks over to the parapet, sits down on the stone and lets his legs hang on the other side. With elbows on his thighs, he leans forward and sweeps his eyes over the darkness that stretches in the distance, imagining the faint outlines of hills and trees he examined every single morning for the past three weeks. It seems like a good place to watch the sunrise, he muses in the back of his mind, but does not know if he wants to hope that such thing will happen in the future.

It does not take long for them to find him and he turns before he can even be addressed, though Isabel calls for him anyway. Now used to the gloom of the night, he can see their silhouettes in the dark, postures ready to fight him, do what it needs to make him change his mind. That is what he likes more about them, he supposes, that they are willing to stand up against him to get what they want.

"You said we'd be together once we left, that we would crawl our way to a better life here in the surface." Isabel says at some point with arms crossed over her chest to masquerade how hurt she feels. "Did you forget?"

As usual, whatever he says is countered with pretty words that have his mind reeling for a second. It seems that even the weather is on their favor, for in that moment when Furlan says that the sky is the limit, the clouds part way and the moon shines down upon them gloriously. He knows in that moment that he lost this argument, that he never once had a chance of winning it in the first place.

The sky opens up completely, revealing a plethora of glittering stars, each brighter than the other. "Believe in us, Levi."

He looks from Furlan to the immensity of the heavens, thinks of the wilderness that waits for them outside the walls, and lowers his head in acceptance, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "All right. I'll believe in you."


	9. ix: expedition

Remember how I said I needed to read ACWNR to finish this chapter? Apparently, I can read a ton of fanfics, but the moment I have to read something with pictures, my brain sizzles. But it's here now. I went over the events of the manga for the expedition superficially or else I'd never get it done.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **ix: expedition**

* * *

Unlike the previous mornings, Isabel is as energetic as she is once the first waves of sleep pass. One has to wonder if she managed to get some sleep the night before, because for the first thirty minutes after she rises, her eyes as barely open and it takes all of her strength not to drag her feet across the floorboards. Today she is bouncing off the walls and anxiously bobbing her legs in place when they seat to have breakfast. It is an odd combination of reheated, leftover soup from dinner last night, bread and coffee for those that need an extra boost waking up. It is far better than the rations they have to stuff their pouches with and attach to the saddles.

None of the team or squad leaders is present in the mess hall this morning. The cadets that are present each have a different aura surrounding them; ranging from excitement to dread, from indifference to nervousness, each of these emotions are worn openly on their features that contort or relax to fit their mood.

The sky has lightened up just enough though the color is still a faint blue with velvety clouds that are frozen in place due to the lack of wind. Birds are still asleep at this time and the grass is slippery, covered from dew that accumulated the night before. The loud buzz of voices inside the room morphs into quiet murmurs once they step out the castle; the soldiers disperse onto the open field, each going for their horses and captains. There is a sense of somber duty that lingers in the air as they make their way to the stables, following the rest of the squad from good some paces behind. They pass by young, restless soldiers from the newest batch, shuffling about unsurely before they are comforted by their veteran teammates.

He guides his horse out of its stall by the reins, petting it on the side of its face and walking away before mounting it. The motion has become natural to him now, pushing against the ground and slinging his leg to the other side, sitting comfortably on the saddle and kicking his heels on strong flanks, getting the beast to move. Ciela lingers behind, more so than Sairam, waiting for the three of them to catch up before they move to find their captain. Flagon emerges from their left, his own brown horse trailing behind him, and reminds them that their place in the position is at the rear. With a pointed look in their direction, a silent order that they do not break the formation, he mounts his steed and guides them to the gates of the headquarters.

Erwin is already up ahead, feet on the ground as he talks to Commander Shadis. Levi only saw the man a few rare times in the past three weeks, and he is having the opportunity of accompanying him of his last expedition, though these are only rumors. Zoe is by the left flank helping their subordinates check if they did not forget the supplies needed to the expedition. Other captains are following the same procedure or are trying to calm down the newbies that are already hyperventilating.

"I see your team's fine, Ackerman."

His gaze flickers back to Flagon before focusing on the newcomer that stops her horse by their right. She is all squared shoulders and calculating eyes as she turns to look at his captain, the tips of her hair brushing her jawline this morning. "They're ready for whatever comes."

Flagon looks at the members of her group, Mateo lingering closer than the rest, and Rael has that same resolution in his eyes that still has not faded. The other three that are ready to venture out of the walls for the first time do a good job in hiding their thoughts, almost managing not to show them in their eyes. "Let's hope they'll remember that."

"They will." She says resolutely. Her eyes meet with each of his squad members and she nods to them in greeting. Levi does not want to think much of it, but a traitorous voice in the back of his head tells him that her gaze lingered on him the longest before turning away.

Everything grows quiet as the commander lifts his hand, voices instantly fading into the air as they wait for the gates to open. They file out of the castle limits in order, horses calmly following along the path that leads to the district situated east on Wall Maria, murmurs slowly arising again. All around them people are conversing among themselves, some keeping it low, some talking loudly, others laughing at an improbable time like this. Isabel, of course, does not miss this opportunity to make comments about the things she sees, like the quaint little houses of a village nearby, the smoke that spirals up a chimney and the crops of produce that lie on the visible parts of their courtyard.

The sun starts to rise about twenty minutes after their departure, accompanied by the cries of every rooster in the vicinity. The sky is painted pastel colors and the first traces of wind start to make themselves known, blowing locks of hair and forest green capes, softly kissing their skin as they pass by a group of farmers milking their black and white cows. The horses move to fit into the still quiet streets of Karanes District, quickly traversing the town and reaching the open field between the middle and outer walls.

More villages wait for them on the outskirts of Wall Rose, houses scattering along the road. More people are awake this time, parents leaving for work and kissing their children on the head before they leave for school. The very same kids approach the road, tiny feet stepping on gravels, grass and dirt alike, eager eyes roaming the formation, hands waving at the soldiers. Their parents and caretakers come, but the hooves of the horses and the wheels of the carts do not stop.

The little ones accompany the pace of the steeds, giggling in delight whenever any of the soldiers return their greetings. Some of the adults are quiet, some are speaking in hushed tones and others are throwing questions at Commander Shadis, who chooses to remain quiet. The steps of the kids grow louder as they choose to go against the flow and rush towards the last rows of steeds. "I found her!" One of them shouts and the rest runs in the little boy's direction, all of them gathering to the right where she is.

Ackerman keeps a straight face and eyes ahead, ignoring the kids as they call out her name. Isabel murmurs something about _she should wave back, poor kids_ , but Humanity's Strongest pretends that they are not present. Still, the kids all gasp and squeal at her, too shocked to move because she merely lifted her fingers from the reins in greeting, and later as the children and the village are left behind, Mateo trades places with her and lets her walk a little closer to the center of the road.

By the time they are lined in the streets facing the final barrier between safety and the unknown, Levi discreetly looks at his friends, spots her green eyes wide and shining with anticipation, sees his calmer pale grey irises harden as reality finally sets in. He himself appears to be okay, but knowing that things out there can get out of control and end in a catastrophe has his ears buzzing oddly and his legs spasm once. The rest of his team in front of him move to better accommodate Ackerman's, moving her further away from the people that linger in the sidelines watching, waiting.

Commander Shadis's voice seems to echo among the walls and streets as he shouts at the Garrison members. "Open the gates!"

The chains rattle and cringe loudly, dust rising from the floor as the dents at the bottom of the gates are pulled out from the dry soil. It is a slow trajectory up, but once there is enough space for one to pass, the horses begin to move, slowly at first and then gaining speed as they pass through the second gate. Ackerman looks over her shoulders at her subordinates, only at them, and kicks her heels on her mare's sides, moving along with the others.

Furlan's breath hitches, Isabel stops breathing altogether and he inhales deeply. No turning back now.

Sounds of hooves on cobblestone gradually shift to muted slaps on soft earth. The line of steeds flare out, spreading in all directions to fill out their positions in the formation. He sees Ackerman lift a fist as a silent call for her team and opens her hand, slicing it through the air until her arm is suspended by her side. They all follow her lead and head to the right, the distance between both teams increasing with every step the horses take.

Then he does not know where to look.

There are far too many details out here in the wilderness. Sunlight streams through the gaps among the clouds, casting pillars of light on the vibrant low vegetation and tall trees creating an ethereal picture. Groups of carefree birds fly above their heads and the field stretches on and on endlessly, far bigger than the one that impressed them in the headquarters. The air, strangely enough, is fresher, crisper; the smell of the evergreen pine trees that surround them reaches their noses and fills their lungs with its sharp scent of woods untouched by humankind. There are patches of flowers scattered across the field, petals of various colors; white, yellow, blue, lilac, together they create a scene that could be described in a book.

It all feels surreal. The muscles in his body start to relax the more he looks around and he cannot help it but wonder what it would feel like to run and run on these plains until his legs gave out, until his lungs begged for more of this clean air, until his eyes desired to see what lays beyond the horizon.

It does not take long until his attention is attracted elsewhere. As beautiful as it all is, he cannot ignore Isabel and Furlan's banter, or the way Sairam reacts to it, exploding yet again in a shout to announce how lowly he thinks of them. While he does not care much what they have to say about him, Levi is getting tired of their repetitive speech and the way they seem to pick on her of all people, so he maneuvers his horse until he is between them, bearing the brunt of Sairam's words with a sort of detachment that only makes him more agitated.

The first titan appears from within a patch of woods when they approach it, a normal one from what they are told, followed by an abnormal that has the team scattering and running for their lives. For such loud people that like to point out the differences between them and constantly remind Levi and his friends of their origins, they do a very poor job in proving they are better. Therefore, Levi chooses to ignore the rest of Flagon's group and takes the lead, telling Isabel and Furlan to take down the titan. A simple distraction and well-placed slices on its knees has it toppling down on all fours, and Levi finishes it off with a clean-cut on the nape of its neck. He lands nimbly by his friends and compliments them, only mildly aware of the dirty, shocked looks they are getting.

A few titans show up afterwards, and by the end of the day, they are settling in a ruined construction with few losses. Isabel and Furlan sneak into the superior's rooms in hopes to find some clue of the whereabouts of the key, counting on Levi to keep watch of the hallway, and there he has one of the tensest encounters with Erwin to date. Not that he sees the man much, but the way he speaks and watches him intently, complimenting him for taking down an abnormal titan on his first expedition does not really make Levi feel good, but rather irritated. It does not get much better later when Hanji joins them as they plot Erwin's death in secret, a shine in their eyes and light flush on their cheeks, and Levi is ready to take their lives until they mention the kill. Hanji's loud words and casualness attract stares in the group's direction, and Levi is thankful that his bluntness manages to push them away at some point. They have little time to come up with a plan to take Erwin down during the expedition, they cannot waste it talking about the Survey Corps' ideals.

Ackerman is no where to be seen that night, he notes dully.

They sleep late at night and rise at the crack of dawn. Levi spots her at some point, herding her group into position and saying a few words; by the hard look on her face, she is telling them of what can happen if they decide to disobey her, and they nod as one as Erwin shouts the first orders of the day. There are a lot more clouds in the sky today, and the scenery is painted red as the first flares shoot upwards. They steer the expedition team in the other direction to avoid titans and they travel without casualties for a while, until the sky begins to darken suddenly, rain clouds rolling into view.

A heavy downpour falls over them, and there is little their green cloaks can do to keep them dry. With the added fog that settles, it is hard to listen and see, and stopping is not an option. They keep running, leading their horses blindly around the field, and Levi is glad that they are all calm despite the dire situation. With scarce courses of actions to take, Levi takes charge again and, as much as he does not like to order them around, that is exactly what he does. Even if his voice leaves no room for arguments, they try to reason with him, but in the end he gets his way and they separate with requests to stay alive and come back in one piece.

So begins his journey to the center of the formation, relying on instincts alone. His horse kicks up dirt and he keeps his eyes open for other teams, and what he finds instead are broken, bloody bodies littering the grass. Levi does not need to guess what happened here, for the large footprints on the ground are a dead giveaway of what caused the death of these people. Something jerks inside his chest and his brain scrambles for a minute before it finds something to focus on: going back and saving them. A harsh tug at the reins and his horse has turned around to retrace its steps.

His heel kicks harder on his horse's flank, body naturally leaning forward to increase speed, heart beating wildly in the front of his throat. Levi feels restless, the muscles in his body screaming at him, at his steed, to go faster, _faster_. They are in danger, they can die, and he was stupid to leave them behind during a storm. They can hold their ground fighting other thugs and soldiers from the Corps, but titans are unknown territory. It was easy to take one down when grouped with the sun shining hotly on their backs; it is entirely another story when the downpour is so heavy you can barely see.

 _"All I can really tell you is not to leave the formation."_

Her words repeat in his mind, reverberating inside his skull, loud and clear against the sound of his own jumbled thoughts. He grits his teeth, bares them, ears ringing in desperation, knuckles turning white as his fingers grip the reins with all of his strength. His hair is plastered back on his head, the rain beating down mercilessly on his tightly coiled shoulders, his stiff back, the worried creases and lines that appear on his face.

 _"Awful things happen when you get separated."_

Gruesome, stomach twisting, bloodcurdling images fill his head, images of missing limbs and body parts lying about carelessly, scattered around the floor like an open graveyard. Images of Furlan bitten in half, blood flowing freely from him, body limp in hands that are inhumanly big. Images of Isabel with wide, green eyes, tears cascading down her cheeks, mingling with the rain, with her head caught between teeth that are roughly the same size. The sickening sounds of crunching bones, helpless screams that are carried with the wind, bodies falling like a sack of potatoes to the ground after they take a bite. All of this fills him with such dread that he feels like he can vomit.

He should have listened to her words. He should have fought them tooth and nail until they accepted defeat and decided to stay behind. He should have never left the formation, should have never ventured out under the rain in hopes to get a now soggy document and achieve some sort of personal revenge for having his face shoved in a puddle of mud weeks ago. Hell, he should have never left the underground in the first place, should have declined that anonymous man's offer of living above ground.

Should have, should have, but it is far too late now.

Levi dismounts his horse in haste, movements so jerky that he nearly topples down on the wet ground face-first. He trudges through the ankle-deep mud, water falling over his eyes and making it hard to see anything that is two palms away from his nose. The sound of the rain is muted against the white noise in his head, loud and distracting, and his mind screams at him, move, move, _move._ He feels lost, feels a scream bubbling up his throat, but it never makes it past his gritted teeth.

 _Move, damn it!_

It is as if there is some greater force watching over him now and listening to his desperate thoughts, and maybe he has cried out in relief, but he cannot tell. The rain subsides; the torrent morphs into a gentle patter that is far more gentle on his skin and now he can see the broken trees, the steam that wafts up from gigantic carcasses that lie immobile on the ground. He moves his feet, cautiously stepping over appendages, severed arms and legs covered in blood-stained cloths; Levi swallows past the lump in his throat, trying not to think about which one of those belong to his friends. _No,_ a stubborn, more hopeful side of his hisses, _they are alive_. He breathes in the smell of damp earth and iron, feels it on the back of his tongue and cringes before moving forward once again.

The cry that carries over to him is a welcomed tune that overrules the dull buzz in his ears. The familiar voice in an uncharacteristic tone means _life_ and he staggers forward, breaths coming out of his parted lips in puffs. He walks to the source of the sound, walking around the dead body of a titan, eyes wide and frantic. His heart stops.

And then it starts beating again.

Relief washes over him and his knees almost buckle under his weight. Furlan is picking himself off the ground on his hands and knees, limbs shaking under the weight of his own body, beads of water dropping from the tip of his nose and the tips of his mushy dark blonde hair that now borders a darker color. Rael and Mateo are near him in the next second, helping him up, and the rest of Ackerman's squad is off to the side, observing the bloody, horrific scene that lies before their very eyes. His own keep searching, though, now accompanied by Furlan's gaze as he drags his feet over to him.

She is there, on her knees, back arched, head buried in the crook of someone's neck, and fingers tightly wrapped around the person's jacket. Her cries are loud and helpless, her nose runs and hiccups rake her body. Isabel strips herself bare in that moment, letting them see a side of her that she keeps carefully hidden under layers and layers of bubbliness and toughness. His eyes roam over her form, looking for injuries; the blood does not seem to be her own and most of her cape is gone, what is left has a huge, uneven tear line that leaves only the top of the Survey Corps emblem intact.

Another cloak is draped over her shoulders; this one is whole and clean. "You're okay," Ackerman's voice, though loud, is comforting, and her hands gently rub up and down the girl's arms trying to warm her up. "You're okay."

 _You're alive_ , is the underlying message she gives. Furlan takes a tentative step forward, then another and another, until he is in a mad dash towards the duo, dropping to his knees and pulling the crying girl into his arms. "Thank you," he whispers into her maroon locks. "Thank you for saving her."

Her lips tilt softly, forlornly, and she shakes her head. "You killed it. You saved her." She looks up at Levi, who approached them in a much slower pace, meets his eyes and gently reaches for his hand, giving his fingers a brief, warm squeeze before rising to her feet. With a mouthed _go_ , Ackerman leaves them alone and joins the rest of her team, looking over the body parts and trying to identify each of them.

She pulls her scarf up to her nose, hiding half of her face in the soft material and frowns at the ground, murmuring an order that only her team hears, and they scatter away from the area. Cupping her elbows, she walks over to the still, incomplete form of Ciela, crouches low and slides the woman's eyelids shut gently. Just as she stands up, horses approach from the east, soft hooves stopping as their riders dismount and join them on the mushy ground.

"Ackerman." Her eyes meet with Erwin's, emotionless black boring into composed cerulean. "Report."

"A small groups of titans, sir." Her fingers flex by her sides, unsure if they should curl inwards to her palm or not. "My team is alive and looking for survivors in the vicinity."

A stiff nod. "Flagon's team?"

Ackerman looks to the side, focusing her gaze on a headless body that lies with limbs bent in awkward and impossible angles. "The three are the only survivors." Closing her eyes, her head turns down and right a fraction, covering most of her profile with her dripping wet hair. "We didn't make it in time. I'm sorry."

Erwin looks at the survivors, eyes betraying nothing. Isabel is still shaking, caged in her friend's arms, letting out shuddering breaths against his chest. Furlan has his eyes tightly shut, his hold on her is impossibly tight, nose buried in her hair. Levi is kneeling beside them, her hands in his, downcast eyes tracing invisible patterns on the dirt.

"Gather the bodies," the blonde finally says. "We need to return to the walls."


End file.
